


Seventeen

by TheaNishimori



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Age of Consent, Birthday Party, Consensual, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, May/December Relationship, May/September Relationship, Smut, it gets sexier as it goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaNishimori/pseuds/TheaNishimori
Summary: Peter wants one thing more than anything else for his seventeenth birthday, but he has to man up and get it for himself if he really wants it. Spoilers for Infinity War (set after the next movie puts the universe to rights again).[Revised and corrected a math mistake that nobody seemed to have noticed; also on the MCU Wiki Peter was already 17 when he died on Titan, but since the movies have messed up the timeline so much on their own, I'm not bothering to change this.]





	1. Chapter 1

After everything that had happened with Thanos, Mr. Stark said we all deserved to celebrate being alive, so he insisted on throwing me a huge birthday party. A lot of my classmates were skeptical that THE Tony Stark was hosting my party, even though the invitations had been sent directly from his office. Still, all of them showed up at school — on a Friday during summer vacation, no less — and were blown away when they saw the fleet of limos waiting to take us upstate. When we arrived at the Avengers facility they oohed and aahed, and when Mr. Stark himself came out to greet us, their jaws dropped. It got even better when we went inside and Captain America and the Black Widow were there. In fact, ALL of the Avengers were there. Even Quill and his gang had stopped by Earth just for my party, and my friends were speechless to meet some real, honest-to-God space aliens. Mr. Stark blew it off, saying this was pretty ho-hum stuff for him but that it was the least he could do for his “most productive intern.” I was so proud and embarrassed at the same time, I hardly knew what to say, but before I could even thank him properly he had the live band start up and told everyone to help themselves to all the pizza and snacks they could eat. It was the best party I’d ever seen, let alone been to, and I just couldn’t believe that it was actually for me.

“Ned,” I whispered, “pinch me!”

He must have misheard me because he punched me instead, but I was glad it hurt, since then I knew that it was all real and not a dream. Aunt May must’ve been having a hard time believing it too, since she also asked Ned to punch her. He did, much more lightly, but she smiled like she was starting to believe it. Miss Potts came over to talk to her, then took her to the bar to get drinks. I saw Flash trying to talk his way into some beer, but the bartenders had facial recognition so he was turned away, with an email sent to his parents letting them know what he’d tried to do. I had to laugh — there was no way the professional band was gonna let Flash near their mics, so I didn’t have to worry about any stupid comments about “Penis Parker” tonight; and after this party, maybe never!

The person I was hoping most would come was here too, only he was dressed in regular clothes… which just made him look even hotter than usual. He was talking to Dr. Banner when I first saw him — he was so tall that he was easy to pick out in any crowd — wearing a sport jacket over jeans and a t-shirt. I caught sight of his red cloak flapping around by itself near the pinball machines, watching some of my friends as they played, so I was glad to know that it hadn’t been left out. But I couldn’t stop staring at Dr. Strange as he casually leaned against a bar table, half-smiling as he probably made small talk. He looked so hot and sexy and intelligent… and way, way, WAY out of my league, of course. Even though I was seventeen now, I was just a kid to him… and would probably always be. I sighed but it didn’t help my heart hurt any less. I’d been obsessed with him ever since we’d fought together on Titan, and not just because his magic was awesome — _he_ was awesome. He was sort of like Mr. Stark in that he was smart and sarcastic, and Mr. Stark called him his “awesome facial hair bro,” but… he was a good bit younger than Mr. Stark and was more hip in a lot of ways. Like he listened to current music, whereas Mr. Stark always played classic rock; not that I don’t enjoy classic rock, but it was so awesome that Dr. Strange knew all the lyrics to my favorite songs by heart. If Mr. Stark was like a father figure to me, I guess Dr. Strange was more of an older brother… someone you could really talk to without worrying about them scolding you like a grown-up, because they still remembered what it was like to be a kid.

 _But I’m seventeen now_ , I reminded myself. I might not be an adult (like I still couldn’t vote for a year and it would be four years before I could drink) but in the state of New York, I’d just reached the age of consent. I was LEGAL — legally allowed to have sex with anybody I wanted, as long as they were at least seventeen too. Which felt weird because I didn’t know anybody who’d even REMOTELY be interested in having sex with me. And the one person *I* was interested in… was pretty much impossible. I didn’t even know if he liked boys — or rather, other men.

 _I’m a man now too, though_ , I thought, feeling odd. I sure didn’t feel like a grown-up yet, but… if I had the chance to have sex with Dr. Strange, I sure as hell wouldn’t turn it down. Even if I had no clue what I was doing, I would at least try. But then again, I might make a fool of myself… like, would he be turned off because I have zero technique? Would he laugh at me if he found out I was still a complete virgin? I knew I was pathetic, but I just hadn’t had any chances — even the one time I went to homecoming with Liz, I didn’t get to dance with her. I’d never even KISSED anybody, so what if I was really bad at it?

 _Maybe it’s a good thing that I’ll never get anywhere with him_ , I tried to console myself. _Maybe it’s better just to be a ‘kid’ to him_. I took another bite of pizza, but it was super hard to swallow around the lump in my throat.

“Hey, kid!” Mr. Stark had come up behind me, startling me as he patted my back. “What a party, eh? Are you having a good time? You don’t look like you’re having a good time. What’s the matter? Not enough pizza? Wrong kind of pizza? What? Talk to me!”

“No, n-nothing’s wrong,” I told him as soon as I could get a word in edgewise. “This is great! Everything’s great. Thank you so much, Mr. Stark — I mean, ‘thank you’ doesn’t even cover it, this is just so… so… spectacular!”

“Aww, kid, I’m glad you like it. You’ve earned it!”

Soon it was time for cake and ice cream, and everybody sang “Happy Birthday” to me, which was surreal. As I went to blow out the candles, I thought about my wish… the one thing I really wanted right now. And I realized that only *I* could make it happen. If I really, REALLY wanted it, I would have to go for it… and tonight was probably my best chance. Maybe the only chance I would ever get.

 _I’m gonna go for it_ , I promised myself as I blew out all the candles in one go.

The cake was great, and everybody came up to wish me a happy birthday and give me presents, even though I’d specifically asked for none (because I knew some of my classmates would bring gag gifts to embarrass me). Quill and the Guardians brought cool space rocks that had minerals that didn’t exist on Earth; Princess Shuri had made a set of vibranium-alloy magnets for me to experiment with; Thor gave me a Costco-size box of Pop-Tarts — blueberry flavor, my favorite; and Cap had found a set of old sci-fi books he thought I’d like, even if the science parts were a bit iffy.

Most of my classmates were still incredulous that I knew all the Avengers, and Flash even suggested that they were impersonators, although nobody agreed with him. It didn’t matter what they thought anymore, I realized; I just didn’t care. All I cared about was one person, who was approaching me now with a smile on his handsome face.

“Happy birthday, Peter,” Dr. Strange said, using his magic to open up a small portal. He brought out a wooden box with geometric patterns on it. “This is a puzzle box. Once you figure out how to open it — which I’m sure you will — you’ll find a key. It’s actually a sling ring that I’ve spelled to give you access to the Sanctum. If you’re ever in danger, or if you just need a quiet place to study, you’re welcome to use it as a safe haven. And Master Wong has given you permission to read any of the books in the library.”

I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even think of a reply. My hands trembled as I took the box.

“Th-Thank you,” I finally managed. “That’s… I can’t even… I mean, this is so… AWESOME.”

“And if you’d like to learn how to use that sling ring,” he added in a low tone so not many people could hear, “just say the word. I think you would do well in the mystic arts.”

I gaped at him, disbelieving my ears.

“Both Wong and I believe you have potential,” he added, “if you’re interested in pursuing it.”

“WOULD I!” I gasped, my heart thudding. Not only had he invited me to visit his Sanctum anytime, he was offering to teach me MAGIC too. Just the thought of spending time with him was making my head spin, let alone learning how to do all that cool stuff.

“Well then,” he said, looking amused, “we can figure out a schedule later.”

The rest of the presents were a blur for me, but I knew Aunt May was jotting them down so I could write thank-you notes later. I tried to thank everybody the best I could — even Flash for his wind-up penis toy, which MJ had savagely burned with one word: “Juvenile.” Once we were done with presents, the band started up again and the furniture was moved to clear a large area for the dancefloor. I excused myself to go to the bathroom.

 _Do I dare do this?_ I asked myself in the mirror as I washed my hands. _It might make things awkward… and maybe blow my chances of learning magic from him…._

I was excited at the chance to learn magic, but being with Dr. Strange — _Stephen_ , I thought with longing — was even more important to me. But although it was hopeless, in a weird way I wanted him to know how I felt about him. _He’d probably let me down gently… maybe have Master Wong teach me instead so it wouldn’t get awkward._ That would be disappointing, but… if he said “Yes” to my request tonight… I decided that would make it worthwhile. I’d longed to feel his arms around me ever since I’d met him, practically. Whenever we were training together at the Avengers facility, I’d try to talk to him, and he was always so nice… and every time he smiled at me, I fell for him even more. It was my birthday today, so it was the best chance I had for him to agree to it, even if it was out of pity or a sense of obligation. It was now or never.

_I can do this. I’m not a kid anymore — I’m seventeen! I’m old enough to make my own decisions, and this is what I want more than anything else._

After psyching myself up as best as I could, I went back out and looked for Mr. Stark.

“There you are!” he said, his face lighting up. “I know you said no presents, but I made a few upgrades to your suit. I couldn’t bring it out in front of your friends, of course, but you can take it for a test-drive later.”

“Oh! Oh, wow… thank you, Mr. Stark… you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I know, but I wanna see how you like some of the new features.”

“Oh, me too — I can’t wait! That sounds… just amazing! Um… say… uh….”

“What is it? What’s eating you? Come on, spit it out!”

“Um, about the band: are they gonna play some… slower music, later?”

“Sure, they can play whatever you want — you’re the birthday boy, after all! What’re you thinking? Some slow numbers for cheek dancing with that special gal, huh?”

My face went red hot. “Yeah, uh… something like that.”

“All right, I’ll go get them to start a slow set—”

“But not too soon,” I interrupted. “I, uh… I need to… work up the nerve to… y’know… ASK.”

“Right! Gotcha. I’ll have them do a few more upbeat ones, then maybe take a break and do a slow set, all right?”

“Perfect!”

That gave me a little time, so I looked for Ned, hoping I could relax by talking to him for a bit. I found him ogling Nat, which made me worry for his safety.

“Ned… Ned! Don’t stare, it’s rude; besides, she could probably kill you with one kick.”

“Awesome…” he said dreamily. “I would die happy then….”

“You’d be DEAD, Ned!”

“She’s so beautiful….”

Realizing he was hopelessly lost in his daydreams, I turned to my rock, Aunt May, but… she was talking with Dr. Banner, sitting at a candlelit table in a corner, and I got the feeling that I shouldn’t interrupt them. She was smiling like I hadn’t seen her do in a long while, and although it felt weird… I was happy for her. Dr. Banner was a really nice guy — as long as he didn’t turn into “the other guy,” as he called him.

I saw Mantis eating ice cream nearby and had a brilliant idea.

“Hi,” I said as I sat down next to her. “I was wondering… could I ask you a HUGE favor?”

“What kind of favor?” she asked.

“Can you… Can you give me, like… an extra boost of confidence? Or even just… calm my nerves for a while?”

“I think so… at least I can make you feel calm.”

“But not to the point where I’m asleep, right? I need to be awake, keep my mind sharp.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

She placed her hands on both sides of my face, and almost immediately I felt my jitters melting away. _I can do this_ , I kept telling myself. _I’m not a kid anymore. I can do this!_

“Is that what you wanted?” she asked, taking her hands off.

“YES. Thank you SO MUCH — that’s just PERFECT,” I told her.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled happily. “I hope it works!”

“I do too,” I said as I stood up. The band had stopped playing as she’d worked her magic on me. It was time to man up. I walked over to where Dr. Strange was sitting, sipping a glass of wine as he talked to Shuri and T’Challa. I approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but I didn’t want to look awkward, either.

“Hey, Peter!” Shuri called. “Great party!”

“Thanks… although I can’t take any credit for it — it was all Mr. Stark’s idea.”

“Well I’m glad you had a birthday, then, so Mr. Stark could throw this party,” she said with a laugh. I laughed along nervously, then turned to Dr. Strange.

“Um….” I realized that this would be much easier without an audience, especially since it was quieter now that the band wasn’t playing. “Could I… talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course,” he said, standing up and putting his arm around my shoulders to lead me away. I hadn’t expected him to do that, and I felt my calm and confidence seep out of my shoes. “What can I do for the birthday boy?”

“Well,” I began, trying to pull myself together, “I was just hoping to… ask you a favor….”

“What? Do you need a hint for the puzzle box?” he teased, peering down into my face, his eyes twinkling.

“No, I… I haven’t even had a chance to work on that yet. I was just….” I took a deep breath and swallowed hard. _This is it! Just DO it!_ “I was wondering if… if you would dance with me,” I blurted out.

He stared at me for a moment that stretched out forever, and I suddenly realized what a dumb, stupid, idiotic idea this was.

“I-I’m s-sorry — n-never mind,” I stammered, freaking out as all of my nerves came back full force. “I shouldn’t have bothered you, I’m sorry, just — please, forget I said anything!”

I tried to leave, feeling like I was gonna cry or throw up or both, but his arm was still on my shoulders and he wouldn’t let go.

“Peter… Peter!” He turned me back to face him and I thought I would die of embarrassment. “Peter, I’m sorry — you just caught me completely by surprise,” he explained. “Of course I will! I just… I wasn’t sure I heard you right. You really wanna dance… with an old guy like me?”

“You’re not old!” I protested before I could even think.

He half-laughed, half-scoffed. “Peter… I'm turning forty-two in November. I’m TWENTY-FIVE YEARS older than you.”

“No way!”

“How old did you think I was?”

“I… I dunno… maybe, like… thirty-five?”

“Seriously? With all this gray?”

“I… I thought you… streaked it. Y’know, for the… aesthetic.”

He actually chuckled this time. “No, I earned every single one of these. And if you count the time I’ve spent in the future or in time-loops… I’m a good bit older than my chronological age. But… I’m really flattered. And if you wanna dance, well then… let’s boogie!”

My face got even hotter when I realized what I hadn’t told him yet. “Um… it’s…. They’re gonna play a slow set now, so… if you’d rather not….”

“Oh….” Was it my imagination or was his face turning pink?

“I’m sorry — if you don’t wanna, that’s okay! I can’t even dance, really; I don’t know what I was thinking—”

“Peter, it’s all right,” he said in a low voice that sent shivers up my spine and made my brain grind to a stop. “If it’s a slow dance, all you have to do is follow my lead.”

“Oh, uh… okay….”

I felt stupid but I couldn’t even think, so I let him lead me onto the dance floor. The band had just started playing a song I thought I recognized.

“‘Lady in Red,’ Chris de Burgh, 1986,” he murmured. “Good choice.”

“Um… I didn’t… it was Mr. Stark’s,” I told him.

“Of course it is,” he said with a little laugh, then pulled me close. I was overwhelmed by being right up against him, my hands on his chest, my heart pounding, with his arms wrapped around my back. “Is this okay?” he asked quietly. When I glanced up, his eyes seemed warmer and kinder than I’d ever seen them before. I could hardly breathe, so I just nodded nervously. He held me even tighter and whispered, “Relax, Peter… I’ve got you. I’ve got you….” He started moving to the music and I found my body moving with him, although stiffly. “Just breathe,” he reminded me, and when I took a deep breath, I realized that I could — and that he smelled super good. I buried my face against his neck and inhaled his scent, relaxing into the rhythm of his motion.

“Say, Peter?” he asked. “Did you not tell Tony who you were gonna dance with?”

“Um… no. Why?”

“Because he’s standing there looking apoplectic.”

“Apocalyptic?” I frowned, not sure what that meant in this context.

“Close enough,” he said without stopping his movements. “As long as he doesn’t summon the four horsemen, I think we’ll be all right. Mostly he just looks stunned.”

“Oh….”

“And your aunt… she looked a little shocked too, but she’s smiling now.”

“Oh… gosh… I….” I stumbled to find the right words — ANY words.

“You didn’t tell anybody, did you?”

“No, I… I’m sorry.”

“What for? There’s no need to apologize, Peter — not to me, anyway. I’m just… extremely flattered.”

One of his hands slid up my back and cupped my head. It was big and warm and made me feel safe. I sighed in complete happiness. This was what I’d been dreaming of for weeks.

“Peter?” He sounded unsure, which surprised me; he always seemed so confident, even when he’d been fighting Thanos. “Is this… what you wanted?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled against his neck. “It’s… PERFECT.”

“Good.” He combed his fingers through my hair a couple of times before saying, “You know… it’s a wonderful feeling to be… WANTED. Something I haven’t felt in a… a very long time.”

“Really?” The thought hadn’t occurred to me. “I figured you didn’t have a girlfriend, since you didn’t bring anybody tonight, but….”

“God! It’s been a lifetime… MULTIPLE lifetimes since I had a girlfriend,” he said with a sigh. “Of course it’s my own damn fault for being an asshole, but….”

When he trailed off, I looked up at him, worried.

“Dr. Strange… um… are you… lonely?”

He smiled, but it was so sad that it squeezed my heart. “Sometimes… yes. Although I’m busy enough most days not to notice.”

“I… I don’t want you to be,” I whispered, staring down at his shirt as my cheeks burned.

“Oh, Peter!” I was electrified when I felt him kiss my head. “You really are the sweetest soul. And I really ought to know better, but this… it’s so… tempting….”

“Tempting?” I echoed, feeling hope run through me like a wildfire.

“But I doubt your guardians would approve.”

“They don’t have to!” I nearly vibrated with excitement as it hit me. “I’m seventeen now! I’m… well, I’m not an adult, but… I’m LEGAL.”

The same realization dawned on his face too. “Oh, God… you’re right. Seventeen is… the age of consent… for New York… isn’t it….”

I felt my mouth go dry as the possibilities opened up in my mind. _Would he even consider…? But he said it was “tempting”! I’ve gotta at least TRY._ I reached up to touch his face, which still looked astonished.

“I… I don’t want you to feel alone,” I told him, breathless from wanting this so badly. “I just… want to BE with you….”

“Oh, Peter,” he murmured. “But do you realize… I’m old enough to be your FATHER?”

“I don’t care,” I answered immediately. “You don’t look that old, anyway.”

“Yes, I do,” he countered. “Some days I feel it too… and then some.”

“You don’t to me,” I insisted. “And maybe… maybe if you weren’t so lonely… you wouldn’t feel it. Maybe I could help you feel younger.”

He chuckled. “I suppose you could… or you could just remind me of how old I am.”

I gaped at him in dismay. “But… But you know all the words to Drake songs and stuff! You’re totally cool! I would’ve never guessed you were forty. And… And… well, couldn’t you make yourself younger with magic, or… something?”

He was looking at me seriously with his blue-green eyes. “I could… but that’s a price I’m not willing to pay at this point.”

“Okay, but — I really don’t care! I just… God! I just wanna BE with you.”

“Wow… I… I don’t know what I did to deserve… any of this,” he said, almost to himself, “but if you really want to… see where this goes…. Well. First of all, we’d have to get permission from your aunt.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued, “I know you don’t HAVE to, but you’re still in her care, and I would only feel comfortable with this if I have her blessing.” I swallowed and nodded; I could understand that. “And secondly, we’d have to take it slow. VERY slow.” He placed his palm against my cheek and I instinctively leaned into it. “Peter, I… I need to know that… we’re doing what’s right for you, every step of the way. I know your hormones must be going crazy right now — I’m not so old that I don’t remember being a teenager — but I’m going to need you to be very patient about, uh… any… physical… aspects.”

“I can be patient,” I promised, “as long as you let me hang out with you. That’s all I want, really.”

“Yeah? Hang around an old geezer like me?”

“You’re not an old geezer! And don’t say that about my friend or I’ll… I’ll web your mouth shut!”

He laughed out loud at that. “I’d like to see you try! No, don’t get any ideas — that was just a figure of speech,” he hastily added.

“Okay, but no bad-mouthing yourself,” I said, trying to look stern. “Studies show that people with positive attitudes do better at work and school, so you can’t run yourself down like that.”

“Yes, SIR,” he teased. Then he pulled me in closer — we’d been swaying the whole time — and rested his forehead on mine. “You’re sure about this? You really… want to do this?”

“Yeah,” I said, not quite sure this was actually happening. “I really want to do you… I mean — I mean — do THIS!” I spluttered as I realized my mistake.

“Oh, God, Peter….” He was laughing and blushing; even the tips of his ears were red. Mine felt like they were on fire. “Was that a Freudian slip?”

“Probably,” I admitted.

“Okay.” He pulled my chin up so I was looking at him. “Because… for the record… I think you’re pretty damn hot too.”

My jaw dropped in surprise, which must’ve looked stupid, but he was staring at my lips like he was hungry or something, and then suddenly I realized that he was going to kiss me. My brain froze again but I closed my eyes and waited… and got my first kiss ever.

It was too short because we were interrupted by wolf whistles and cheers from my friends — Quill being the loudest — but I didn’t even care. My head was spinning and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the man I’d been dreaming about.

“Stephen,” I breathed, then flushed as I heard myself say that out loud.

“Peter,” he answered, a smile spreading across his face. “Shall we make it official?”

I didn’t know what he meant until he turned to Aunt May, who had come over to the dance floor with Dr. Banner.

“Ms. Parker… I know this may seem rather unusual, but… I’m hoping we could have your permission to start… dating.”

“Oh, I suppose,” she teased. Her smile was bright and beautiful. “You’re actually one of the few people who can keep him out of trouble.”

“Well, I can’t promise THAT,” he said, “but when he DOES get into trouble, I promise to do my best to get him OUT of it.”

“Why’re you both assuming that I’M the one that’s gonna get in trouble?” I protested. I grabbed the lapels of Stephen’s sport coat. “Maybe YOU’ll get into trouble and need ME to get you out of it!”

“That works too,” he replied, smiling.

“All right! I’m getting cavities just watching you two,” Mr. Stark interrupted. “Honestly, Peter — I’m sorry if I gave you a thing for older men with awesome facial hair, but seriously? The WIZARD?”

“You’re just jealous,” Stephen said, then stuck his tongue out at him. “But you’re not allowed to whine — you’re getting married in two weeks.”

“Don’t remind me! The florists are driving me crazy!” Mr. Stark rolled his eyes. “Just don’t come back to me in a week and say you want a double wedding — Hap won’t be able to handle the stress!”

Stephen looked at me and I smiled back at him.

“No worries about that, Mr. Stark,” I said. “We’re just gonna… take it slow.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All your lovely comments have inspired me to keep writing this! Thank you so much! <3 <3 <3

I still couldn’t believe this was happening as Stephen danced with me for the rest of the slow set. It was just… so amazing… and incredible… like all of my dreams came true at once. Aunt May had winked at me when she and Dr. Banner started dancing too, and I just gave her a wide-eyed I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening look, making her giggle.

“Say, Peter?” Stephen asked.

“Yeah?” I pulled my face away from his neck so I could look up at him. And tried not to drool.

“Do you have any plans for Sunday afternoon?”

This was one of our Avengers training weekends, so we were doing group exercises and scenario practices all day Saturday and Sunday morning, then going home after lunch.

“Um… no,” I answered, hardly daring to breathe. _Is he… Is he asking what I THINK he’s asking?_

“Well, then… how would you like to… go out someplace? Nothing fancy, you know, just… hang out?”

“Yeah,” I said, gaping at him. “I mean… yes! I would. Very much.”

Stephen smiled in a way that made me realize — as impossible as it seemed — that he was feeling a bit nervous about this whole thing too, which blew my mind. “Okay… it’s a date, then.”

“Like a… a REAL date?” I asked before realizing how stupid that sounded.

“Yeah. Unless,” he paused to quirk an eyebrow, “you’d rather go on a VIRTUAL date first? I dunno, what do you kids do these days… video chat or something?”

“No! I mean, I don’t — I haven’t — that is, some people probably do, but… I’d rather… ah….” At this point I was so breathless, I wasn’t even sure WHAT I wanted to say.

“Okay,” Stephen interrupted, rubbing my back to calm me down. “Let’s just… hang out. Maybe go for burgers or something when we get hungry.”

“Yeah!” I finally managed. “I… I’d like that….”

“Okay.” He chuckled in a low rumble that made my knees feel weak. I buried my face back in his shoulder and stuck to him like glue, unable to believe my good luck. I mean, he’d already asked Aunt May for permission to date me, but… I hadn’t expected him to take me out on a DATE date right away! I wanted Ned to punch me again, just so I would know this wasn’t a dream. When Stephen cradled the back of my head and held me close, I was so happy I almost cried.  

“Well… that’s the set,” he murmured a little bit later.

“Huh?”

“The end of the set. And I think some of your friends are going home now. You should probably go tell them goodnight… you know, see them off?”

“Oh….” I reluctantly peeled myself away from his chest — did I mention what an awesome chest he has? — and saw a group of my classmates hanging around the door to the hallway. They probably had curfews or something going on tomorrow so they had to leave early.

“Hey.” Stephen startled me when he slipped his hand against my cheek. He looked serious as he said, “I’m sorry if they give you flak for this… for US.”

“Oh! Uh….” It almost made me dizzy to hear him say “us” like… like we were really TOGETHER. “Don’t worry,” I told him. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. Flash has been calling me ‘Penis Parker’ for more than two years, so….”

“WHAT?” He looked shocked and disgusted and angry now. And that was super-hot too.

“It’s okay — I don’t think he’ll be saying anything after tonight.”

“All right, but if he DOES… I may send him on a tour of some of the… less FRIENDLY dimensions I’ve seen.”

I couldn’t help grinning at the thought. Then Stephen planted another quick kiss on my forehead.

“He’ll do well not to provoke anyone dating a master of the mystic arts,” he muttered, sounding sinister and threatening, but I was still reeling from the thought that I was DATING him. Like, for REALS. He turned me toward the door and patted my back, saying, “Go on, do your duty as the host. I’ll go get us some drinks.”

I walked over to the group, feeling like I was floating on a cloud. “You all leaving already?” I asked as I got near.

“Yeah, I’ve got soccer practice in the morning,” one of them said, and another added, “Going to my grandma’s.”

“Well, thanks so much for coming! I hope you had a great time.”

“Still can’t believe you know the Avengers, man,” Corey (one of the football players) said and gave me a fistbump. He’d never talked to me before.

“We all got selfies with Thor!” Shaun (another football player) told me, waving his cell.

“Hey, who’s that old guy?” Sam asked. She was one of most popular girls at school.

“Yeah, why would you even WANNA date HIM?” her best friend Clarissa put in.

“He’s not THAT old,” I objected. “He’s smart and funny and nice, and besides, he’s one of the Avengers — he has superpowers that I can’t tell you about because they’re classified — and just look at him: he’s smokin’ HOT.”

“Jesus, Parker,” Zach (a basketball player) said with a creeped-out look, “I thought it was shitty that Flash called you ‘Penis,’ but I didn’t think you’d turn out to be a real cock-sucker!”

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it — homophobe!” I shot back with false bravado. Of course I’d never tried anything myself, but they didn’t know that.

“I thought you liked Liz,” Clarissa pointed out, “but now you like an old man with gray hair? What’s up with THAT?”

“I’m sapiosexual,” I told them, “which means I’m attracted to intelligent people. Stephen used to be a brain surgeon before his hands were injured, AND he has a Ph.D., which I find to be incredibly sexy.”

“They have something else in common,” Zach said with a sneer. “They’re both taller than you!”

“I do like my partners tall,” I retorted, “but don’t worry — you’ll never qualify in the intelligence department.”

Just then the limo drivers came to take them down to the lobby, so I said a hasty goodbye, wanting to get back to Stephen as soon as possible. He was watching me from the counter, smiling — at ME! — and saying something to the bartender. By the time I got there, he had two root beer floats waiting.

“I thought you might like something sweet right about now,” he said as he pushed one of them toward me.

“Wow! Yeah, this is my favorite!”

“I thought so.” He chuckled again. “Let’s go sit over there.”

We were getting settled in at the table when MJ walked over and raised her glass.

“Heard you slay Zach back there. Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Well, it IS my birthday, after all,” I replied. “I don’t need to take his shit if I don’t want to.”

“What did he say?” Stephen asked sharply.

“Nothing… he was just being a homophobe,” I explained.

“Yeah, he had it coming,” MJ added. I was surprised when she pulled out one of the other chairs and sat down in it backwards, propping her chin on the back to stare hard at Stephen. “So… why would a grown-ass man like you — who has a Ph.D. on top of an M.D. — wanna date a punk-ass kid like Parker?”

“Hey!” I protested, although when she put it like that… I had to wonder. Part of me didn’t want to know, though, in case… Stephen was just… HUMORING me… because it was my birthday.

“Well, suffice it to say,” he answered, still smiling, “I admire Peter for his mind AND his character… and I do know him quite well already. Better even than Tony.”

I looked at him, puzzled, but MJ wasn’t deterred.

“So you’ve got some sort of superpower that helps you read minds? AND characters?” she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Not exactly. It’s got more to do with… warping time… seeing other possible timelines in the multiverse.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Stephen shrugged and ate a spoonful of ice cream. “Say what you will, but I’ve seen Peter grow into a fine young man, and I have nothing but respect for the person he is at the core of his being. He has a beautiful soul… something you don’t find very often, unfortunately.” He turned to me and smiled. “Right now my beautiful soul might want to drink some of his float before it spills over.”

I saw what he meant and took a long pull of the root beer to lower the surface, buzzing from what he’d just said. _All of those millions of possible futures he saw… that must be what he means! Even though we lost in all those other timelines, in some of them, at least, we must have spent time together… probably fighting Thanos. And since he saw so many… he might have known me for years in a few of them — like he said, until I was an adult — so he really DOES know me. And he… he still wants to BE with me._ It was enough to make my head swell up and explode.

“‘Beautiful soul,’ huh,” MJ said in a monotone.

“You have no idea,” Stephen said, then put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, making my heart skip a few beats.

“I still call bullshit,” MJ stated. Stephen surprised both of us by laughing.

“All right, if you insist,” he told her. “In this less-than-perfect world, it’s more likely that I’m an ephebophile — a borderline pedophile who’s attracted to adolescents — and was just waiting for Peter to turn legal to POUNCE on him. That would be the most logical conclusion, anyway.”

I opened my mouth before I could think. “But *I* was the one who asked you to dance! It’s not like you were pointing a gun to my head or anything!”

“No,” Stephen agreed. “And I did already know that root beer floats are your favorite… because you told me in another timeline.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. We were talking about all the food we wanted to eat when we got back home.”

From Titan, I realized.

“You also informed me — in no uncertain terms — that Five Guys burgers are the best, although for other sandwiches, you always go to your local deli, Delmar’s. You took me there a few times. They do have the best meat-to-bread ratio, although I prefer mine not squished.”

My jaw dropped, because I knew for sure that I’d never taken him to Delmar’s — not in THIS timeline, anyway. And he even knew I liked my sandwiches squished flat.

“Um… so….” I swallowed hard, feeling my throat go dry. “Like… how many times did we…?”

“Out of the fourteen million… we both survived about half a million times,” he answered, knowing what I wanted to ask before I even finished. “I had to follow each one for a while to make sure what the outcome was going to be… so yeah… I got to spend a lot of years with you. Oddly enough, more years than you’ll actually live in one lifetime. But who you are never changed — just your circumstances. And I have to say… you always grew up to be a VERY handsome man.”

I thought my face was going to melt, it felt so hot. I took a long drink of my root beer to cool down and soothe my dry mouth.

“You really… buying all that drivel?” MJ asked me, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah… ’cause I’ve seen what he can do. It’s amazing.”

“You said it was classified.”

“Oh, that was to those other guys,” I said, spooning up another bite of ice cream. “I just didn’t want to try to explain it to those clowns.”

“There’s nothing ‘classified’ about my powers,” Stephen put in. “In fact I don’t answer to any government authorities — not regarding the mystic arts, anyway. Although being a good skeptic, you probably wouldn’t believe it even if you saw it.” His lips were turned up in a small smile as he said that, so I knew he wasn’t upset at all.

“You don’t recognize any government authority over your powers,” MJ repeated back to him, “and yet you waited until Peter turned seventeen so you could legally date him?”

“I’m not ABOVE the law. If I pretended to be, then I would be no better than the villains I put away,” he pointed out. “And as for my powers — which are really an acquired skill set, by the way — it’s more a matter of… jurisdiction. I suppose the Sokovia Accords might be considered applicable, but none of us sorcerers were even asked to sign them because we’re undetectable by conventional means. Bottom line, we are sworn to protect this reality. We don’t need to be ordered to do it, because preserving the natural law is the responsibility of all who have these powers. And if any government agency attempted to prevent us from using our powers to do so, well… they would simply not succeed.”

“And it wouldn’t make sense for them to stop you,” I added. “Like, sheesh! Not like THEY could do anything if we got attacked by an enemy that uses magic.”

Stephen turned a wry smile on me. God, he was handsome! “Exactly. But unenlightened humans tend to fear what they don’t understand. It’s very rare to find somebody who… delights in our differences.”

I wasn’t sure why he squeezed my shoulder as he said that, or why he was smiling at me like I was the greatest thing since sliced bread; all I knew was that it felt like heaven. I couldn’t stop staring at him, and his mesmerizing blue-green eyes were looking right back at me the whole time.

“Ugh!” MJ stood up and shoved her chair back into place. “Well I wish you and your ‘beautiful soul’ the best of luck. Something tells me you’re gonna need it.”

“Thank you, Michelle. I suppose we will,” Stephen said, turning to her with a sober expression.

“Wait….” She stopped to stare at him. “How did you know my name?”

“I met you before… in another timeline,” he answered, a smug smile creeping over his mouth.

“Right. Uh-huh.” Still looking suspicious, MJ moved away.

“So, like… in all those timelines,” I began, struggling not to lose my train of thought — it was really distracting being so close to Stephen, especially face-to-face — “when we fought Thanos… and kept losing….”

“The hardest part was having to watch everyone die… over and over again.” His sad expression made me ache, although I was electrified when he touched my cheek with his fingertips. “We put up a pretty good fight a few times… but were ultimately unsuccessful. And often it was a challenge just to get off Titan. If Quill or Gamora or Nebula survived the Snap, they were able to cobble together enough parts to make one spaceworthy craft, but without them… it was difficult. However, when I explained to you what I’d seen them do in the other timelines, you were able to re-create what they’d done — well enough that we could get back to Earth, at least.”

“Really?” I must’ve gaped at him, because he laughed.

“Yes, really! You did Tony proud. You’re quite capable… so much more than he realizes, Peter… so much more than even YOU realize, sometimes….”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but I guess it didn’t matter — he pulled my chin up and kissed me again. Only this time he didn’t break it off right away; he just kept his lips on mine, not moving, with the gentlest pressure… until I realized that he was waiting for ME to make a move. I knew I wanted more, but of course I’d never done this before so I wasn’t sure how. I tried to kiss him back, carefully puckering my lips so I wouldn’t hurt his. I must’ve done okay, since he pulled me closer and cupped my head firmly, then made the kiss… well, sloppier. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to suck my lips in, then shocked me by licking them, slowly, from one end to the other. My heart was pounding so hard, making my blood rush and roar in my ears, that I almost didn’t hear Mr. Stark’s comment.

“Uh, Doc? What ever happened to, uh… ‘taking it slow’?”

Stephen pulled back a little, then kissed my cheek before holding me tight and sighing.

“I… I’m sorry,” he half-whispered into my ear. “I didn’t mean to rush you….”

“It’s okay — you’re not,” I assured him, although I was still trying to catch my breath.

“I mean, I know you’re a medical doctor… or used to be,” Mr. Stark was saying, “but I don’t really think you need to check out Peter’s tonsils right here, right NOW—”

“Oh, stuff it, Tony!” Stephen shot back. “You, of all people, can’t blame me for being… weak!”

I was pressed against him, cheek to cheek, so I couldn’t see his expression, but… staring at the streaks of gray in his hair, feeling his arms clench around me, I suddenly realized… he WANTED this — maybe even, in a way, he NEEDED this — and the thought left me petrified. Like, it was a huge responsibility, because it wasn’t just my stupid crush anymore: if STEPHEN felt the same way about ME, then I could hurt him if I messed up. It was also weird to think that he might actually be interested in me as an ADULT… and although I’d wanted to be treated like an adult for as long as I could remember, now that I was presented with the very real possibility that someone was — and not just ANY someone, but Stephen, whom I respected and adored — I had to admit, I was freaking out.

“Oh. My. God.” Mr. Stark sounded dead serious. “Stephen… don’t tell me…. You can’t possibly…. My God, you’re not seriously…?”

“I love Peter, yes,” Stephen answered, his voice wavering. “I’ve been in love with him for… centuries, all told. I just… I hadn’t considered that it might… that it could possibly be in the cards for us, this time around, but… oh, God!” He loosened his grip on me enough to look into my face. “I’m sorry, Peter… I wasn’t going to tell you, but… I can’t hold back — I’ve missed you… so, so much!”

I finally connected the dots.

“All those futures… all those timelines that you saw….”

“Yes.”

“We were… TOGETHER?”

“Yes.”

“How many times?”

“Four hundred ninety-eight thousand, nine hundred eighty-seven times.”

“Good God!” Mr. Stark burst out, then demanded, “How many times did you NOT hook up?”

“Fifteen.” Stephen’s gaze was fixed on me, but it was like he was also looking at all those other versions of me that he’d known. “Usually, when you had survived, Tony… I restrained myself… although it was mostly because you kept Peter so busy, helping you put together a spacecraft.” He combed my hair with trembling fingers. “Not for lack of interest, of course… at least on my part.”

“Whoa….” I was mind-blown, but it was awesome to think that we’d been together for so many of the timelines. Like, TOGETHER together. As in, we must’ve had sex. A LOT of sex… if we’d been together for a total of centuries, like he’d said. My jaw dropped as I tried to absorb the idea that Stephen already knew what I was like in bed… that he’d EXPERIENCED what I was like in bed. It was daunting to even THINK about having sex with him, but the fact that he still wanted to be with me was… reassuring, even if it was overwhelming.

“Um, so… you remember… everything? All of those timelines?”

“Yes.”

“God! I wish… I wish I did too.”

“So do I.”

“I mean, it seems unfair that you… you KNOW all this stuff about me… and I don’t know that much about you.”

He leaned his forehead on mine. “We’ll fix that… gradually.”

“Okay.” I nodded without shaking him off. “I’d like that. I wanna know… all the things we did together.”

“Well, here’s a spoiler: most of the time, we went to fight Thanos… and ended up dead.”

“Oh. Not cool. But I guess… we were trying to get the rest of the people back, so… it makes sense.”

“Yeah.” He paused for a moment before adding, “There was the one time… before we left Earth… we knew we probably wouldn’t survive, so… you wanted to make it… official.”

“Make what…?”

“We got married.” He smiled, although it was a bit sad. I just stared at him in shock. “We went to a Justice of the Peace… nothing fancy, of course, but… Happy and Rhodey were our witnesses. Our last spaceflight was… our honeymoon… such as it was.”

“Wait, wait! Hold up,” Mr. Stark interrupted. “How OLD was Peter? And how the hell did you get Aunt May to sign off on it?”

“Miss Parker was gone in that timeline,” Stephen said, closing his eyes, “and although it took us a while to put together a spacecraft… it was June when we left Earth… of next year.”

“Oh, God! So you got married when Peter was still SEVENTEEN?”

“So sue me,” Stephen replied blandly. “Nobody objected; we were about to go on a suicide mission; and Peter wanted to.” He pulled away and turned to Mr. Stark. “Half the world was gone, Tony. Although some semblance of order had been restored by the time we returned from Titan… nobody thought much about it. In fact, a lot of people were getting married… because who knew how long any of us were going to be alive?”

For the first time, I saw Mr. Stark speechless. His expression changed from one of horror and outrage to understanding and, in the end, acceptance.

“So… you got hitched. And died fighting Thanos.”

Stephen nodded. “It took us seven weeks to get to him, since we couldn’t quite re-create the alien technology. When you were around, you managed to figure it out a bit better — once we made it there in sixteen days. But those seven weeks….” He swallowed, then kissed me on the tip of my nose. “They were some of the happiest of my life… in ANY timeline.”

I slid my arms up around his neck. “Promise me that you’ll tell me all about it.”

“Of course.” He kissed me on the lips again, briefly. “I’ll even re-enact some of it… when you’re ready.”

“UGH!” Mr. Stark was rolling his eyes. “I’d say ‘Get a room’ but I don’t think that’s even legal!”

“It IS,” I protested. “I’m seventeen now!”

Stephen was smiling at me but his words were directed at Mr. Stark. “Legal age of consent in the state of New York…. But don’t worry, Tony… I do plan to keep my word and… take things slow.”

“You don’t have to,” I told him, although my heart was pounding and my mouth had gone dry. “Not on MY account.”

“Peter… my sunshine….” He kissed me again, softly and sweetly. “When the time is right… I want to be sure that it’s… special… perfect… just like you.”

Gazing into his eyes, I knew he meant every word. I thought I might just burst of happiness, knowing that he wanted to be WITH me… maybe for the rest of our lives.

“Okay.” I swallowed hard. “I’ll wait… and I’ll… try to be patient.”

Our lips must’ve had some sort of magnetism to them, because they drew together again. And nothing else had ever felt so natural.


	3. Chapter 3

It was past midnight when I said goodbye to the last group of my classmates — with a sleepy but very happy Ned among them. Nat had given him a peck on the cheek goodbye, so he was in third heaven. Which meant I was probably in seventh heaven or something, because Stephen gave me another full-blown kiss as we got ready to turn in.

“Goodnight, Peter,” he whispered after, holding me close like he didn’t want to let go. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight… Stephen,” I whispered back, still amazed that this was happening at all.

“RIGHT! Early morning tomorrow, Peter,” Mr. Stark reminded me. “You’ll want to test the new features of your suit before we start the training exercises.”

“Oh! Right.” I turned away from Stephen, wishing I didn’t have to. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to it tonight, Mr. Stark, but I’m really excited to see what you did with it!”

“No worries, Pete — you were busy with all your… f-friends.” He stumbled over that last word, probably because Stephen had wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my ear. He must have done it on purpose to aggravate Mr. Stark, who looked… aggravated. “Seriously, Wizard? Right in front of his aunt?”

“She DID give me her permission,” Stephen countered.

“To DATE him, not to… SLOBBER all over him!”

“Minimal slobbering, I promise,” Stephen said before kissing my cheek. I couldn’t help laughing — partly because his goatee tickled, partly because Mr. Stark’s eye-roll was so funny. But then I saw Aunt May looking… well, a little worried, which made ME a little worried too.

“Good God, man! You’re a grown-ass wizard; control yourself!” Mr. Stark was grumbling.

“And here I thought I was doing so admirably,” was Stephen’s dry reply. He let go of me to make a portal back to his Sanctum, which startled Aunt May. “Sweet dreams, Peter,” he said, giving me one last peck on the forehead before stepping through the ring of sparks.

“You too!” I managed to call out. He winked at me over his shoulder before disappearing.

“That mage is a menace!” Mr. Stark declared as he walked down the hallway to the Avengers’ quarters. “He can’t keep his hands to himself — OR his mouth, apparently!”

“I don’t mind,” I insisted.

“Peter… you told me a bit about Dr. Strange before,” Aunt May started, “but… did you know he was… interested in you? Is that why you wanted to dance with him?”

“No, I… I had no idea! If I had… I would’ve… gotten together with him, I guess, a whole lot sooner.” My mind spun to think that we were actually TOGETHER now. “But remember how I said he looked into, like, a gazillion future timelines? To find one where we could actually defeat Thanos?” She nodded. “He just told me that we got together in a lot of those — like, in half a million timelines, for centuries’ worth of time, at least in his memory — and he watched me grow up, and we fought Thanos together until we died, over and over, and….” I trailed off, flushing bright red at the thought that we’d had sex in all those timelines… that we’d even gotten MARRIED in one of them!

“Frankly, I’m a little disturbed by this information,” Mr. Stark put in. “He also said that he’d hooked up with you in all but FIFTEEN timelines — and those were only because I’D survived and managed to keep his greedy hands off of you! It shows an unhealthy — dare I say, even PATHOLOGICAL — interest… in a kid who’s young enough to be his own son!”

“Oh, come on, Mr. Stark!” I protested. “I don’t think he’s THAT old; I mean, he’s young at heart, right? And age is nothing but a number!”

“Peter Delano Parker! He’s more than TWICE your age!” Mr. Stark stopped walking and stared at me, appalled. “Granted, I can understand that there were some… extenuating circumstances, at least in those other timelines — half the universe’s population was gone, Earth was in chaos, and people were getting hitched left and right because they thought it was the end of the world, but… in THIS timeline, that is NOT the case!”

“But I LIKE him!” I shot back. “And… as unbelievable as it is, he likes me too!”

“I think I understand,” May said, surprising us both. “He remembers all those other… timelines, right? And in so many of them — did you say half a million? — you guys… got together. So… I would guess… every time, he just kept falling… deeper in love with you.”

I gaped at her, trying to wrap my mind around that concept.

“That’s… uh…” Mr. Stark mumbled.

“It makes sense, if you think about it,” Aunt May said, gesturing. “He remembers spending all that time with Peter, in all those different timelines… years and years… centuries’ worth, right? So all the little things you do… all the things that make you fall in love with someone even more, if you already love them to start with… they were reinforced for him, like, literally HALF A MILLION TIMES compared to what they would be for a normal person living a single, normal life. He’s actually loved you for centuries….” She smiled and brushed my hair back from my face. “No wonder he can’t help himself! I was only with Ben for thirty-some years, and I still think about him every day. If Stephen was with you for CENTURIES… I’m surprised he didn’t make any moves on you before now.”

“Not that we could see,” Nat said, startling me. She and Clint must have come up behind us in the hallway. “I think I would’ve noticed if he’d shown any… excessive attention to Peter.”

“He’s the youngest, so we’re all pretty protective of him,” Clint told May. “Plus I’ve got kids of my own, so if I’d seen ANYbody acting creepy around him, I would’ve done something about it.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” May said, smiling.

“Thanks, guys,” I added. “I’m glad you’re all watching my back. But… could you please… just… let me handle this? I’m not a kid anymore — I’m seventeen! And I know that probably sounds young to you guys, but….” I struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. “It’s just… Stephen’s been with me in all those timelines… and I’m sure I did a lot of stupid things and made a lot of mistakes in all that time, but… he still wants to BE with me… and that’s just… AMAZING.”

“That IS pretty damn incredible,” Clint agreed with a grin. “I’d be sick and tired of you in just half an HOUR, let alone half a million YEARS.”

“Hey! Be nice,” Nat scolded, elbowing him in the ribs. “At least say half a DAY.”

“Well, I may be biased,” Aunt May said, “but I don’t find that surprising at all.”

“Thanks, Aunt May… but I think you ARE biased,” I said, blushing.

“So, does that mean… you’re in it for the long haul?” Mr. Stark asked in an unusually sober tone. “The whole, entire, rest of your life?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t even have to think about it. “As long as he doesn’t get sick and tired of me.”

“Like I said, he would’ve by now if he was ever going to,” Clint pointed out, patting my back. “I think you’re in it for keeps, kid. But at least you KNOW that it worked out so many other times — that’s an advantage most couples don’t have.”

“Wow… yeah,” I answered.

After we each went to our rooms (Aunt May had a special visitor’s room near mine), I thought about that in the shower — while I FINALLY got some relief for all the boners I’d had over the evening — and decided that it was even nicer to know that, after all the centuries of time we’d spent together, Stephen still WANTED me. I fell asleep to the memory of his arms wrapped around me, which was the best feeling ever.

 

* * *

 

I groaned as my cell played “All the Single Ladies,” then perked up when I saw that I was in my room at the Avengers facility. I flew through my morning routine even faster when I remembered about Stephen — that he’d not only danced with me but wanted to DATE me, because we had multiple timelines of history together. I knew he would be at breakfast (he and Master Wong usually were) so I made sure my hair was brushed neatly and my shirt tucked in straight before jogging to the cafeteria/common room, where the food was set out buffet style… but there was no sign of Stephen.

“Goodness! Aren’t you up early,” Aunt May teased from one of the tables. She was sitting with Wanda and Vision, eating pancakes.

“Hi! Have you seen Stephen?” I asked, still looking around.

“Not yet. Go get yourself some of these — they’re delicious!”

I was about to grab a plate when I caught the orange glow of a portal out of the corner of my eye. I rushed to the hallway to greet Stephen and Master Wong.

“There’s my sunshine,” Stephen said before picking me up in a bear hug. “God! I’ve missed you….”

“You just saw me… less than eight hours ago,” I reminded him with a laugh, hugging him back.

“That’s over seven hours too long.” He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, then held my shoulder as we headed to the counter. “I’m sorry… I must seem terribly needy, but… when we were stranded on Titan, we were never apart for more than an hour.”

“It’s okay. I get it… I think.” I took the plate he handed me. “Aunt May says the pancakes are really good. She also said, last night, that if you’d spent so much time with me in all those other timelines, she wasn’t surprised that you missed me.”

“I’m glad you explained that to her,” he said under his breath. “I was afraid she might think I was… well, a pervert. I keep telling myself to take it slow, but… I’m having such a hard time following my own advice. It’s almost like muscle memory, you see — my body just… has gotten so USED to touching you… I can’t seem to stop myself.”

“I don’t mind. Really, I don’t!”

His expression seemed to soften at that.

“Okay. But promise you’ll let me know if I ever make you uncomfortable.”

“I will… although I don’t think that’s possible.”

I wolfed down my food, kissed Stephen goodbye, and told DUM-E that he’d done a good job with the pancakes before I ran to the equipment room to put on my new suit. Mr. Stark had gone a little crazy with the options — as usual — but I tried to remember some of the more unique features so I could use them during our exercises and show him how much I liked them. He came out to the training yard to see how I was doing before too long.

“So? Whaddaya think?”

“They’re awesome, Mr. Stark! This whip thingy is going to be really useful, I think.”

“Have you tried the web-tail feature? I thought you could use a hands-free option for hanging upside-down, like a real spider.”

“Yeah! It’s great!”

The rest of the team came out, along with Aunt May, who was going to watch our training for the first time. She and Clint laughed when I hung from the roof and said, “Look! No hands!” But I jumped down and held her hand as Stephen took us all into the Mirror Dimension. We’d been training in there for the last few times — ever since he’d suggested it — because we didn’t have to worry about breaking anything, plus none of the paparazzi could see us. He deconstructed and reconstructed the building so it was more like a cityscape, with all sorts of places to hide in as well as taller structures to swing from. It had been trippy to see him do that the first time, so I wanted to make sure May was okay.

“Wow…” she breathed, taking it all in. “He can just… DO this?”

“He said it would take a lot more energy to do this in the real world,” I explained, “but here in the Mirror Dimension, since it’s just an image, he can manipulate it easier.”

“Pretty wild, isn’t it?” Maria remarked. “You can come up with me to the command center. Doc leaves that untouched so we can still use it, and even reinforces the walls.”

Stephen and I were on opposing teams today, but he was paired off against Wanda, so we didn’t have to actually fight each other. I’d been sparring a lot with Bucky lately, but today I was up against King T’Challa, which was challenging but fun — his suit could absorb a ton of energy, so I didn’t have to go easy on him, although I had to be careful because he could dish it right back. Rhodey was on my team and he tried to help, but the Black Panther suit absorbed his grenade explosions and redirected the impact toward us, blasting a corner of a building.

“Time out!” Stephen called, floating over to inspect the damage, then rebuilding the broken part to prevent the entire building from crashing down.

“Water break,” Tony also announced, so everyone headed over to the break area… except me. I waited for Stephen to finish fixing the building.

“Hey,” he said, coming down to me. “How’re you doing?”

“Okay, I think.” I felt absolutely great when he hugged my shoulders and led me toward the break area. “King T’Challa’s suit is amazing! I think Mr. Stark wants to incorporate that energy absorption feature into some of our suits too.”

Stephen chuckled. “I’m sure he would like to, but would Princess Shuri give him the blueprints for something like that?”

“I dunno…. Maybe Mr. Stark can develop something similar with his own tech.”

As we approached the water coolers, where Gatorade and other drinks were stocked, Captain Rogers (who was my team captain) yelled at us, “Hey! No fraternizing with the enemy!” Everybody laughed, and although I could feel my face turn hot, I was perfectly happy.

“We’re on break,” Stephen protested. “Besides, you just split a doughnut with Bucky!”

“I have to watch my girlish figure,” Cap returned amidst roars of laughter.

Captain Danvers (who was the other team captain) poked him in the ribs and teased, “Too late!”

I was glad to see that Aunt May had come down to join us; THIS was the part of training with the Avengers that I wanted her to see — how much fun we had together. I knew she would freak out over all the dangerous stuff we did, which was why I hadn’t invited her to come before this weekend, but… being an Avenger wasn’t only about danger. It was also about being with people who were different from the rest of the world, just like you, who could understand you better than anyone else, and were just really, really great friends.

The rest of the day went smoothly, and every time we had a break or a meal, Stephen was right there beside me, talking to me and smiling at me. Aunt May seemed to be having a good time, too, and Dr. Banner joined our table for supper. Afterwards, we all settled into the reclining chairs around the common room for our usual movie night, and because Quill and his gang were visiting (from outer space, no less!), Mr. Stark decided we would watch Footloose in his honor. I didn’t care what we watched as long as I got to snuggle with Stephen on the couch. I was practically sitting on his lap, he had pulled me so close, and I could feel his breath on the back of my ear. Mr. Stark looked like he was about to comment on it, but Miss Potts pulled him away to their own couch. I was leaning back against Stephen — my BOYFRIEND! — feeling completely content, when I noticed his red cloak hovering just behind us.

“Hey, Cloakie!” I called out, since some people were still getting their drinks and popcorn. “You wanna come sit with us?” But the cloak drew away like I’d offended it.

Stephen sighed, sending a shiver through my body. “I’m sorry — it’s acted like this before, in some of the other timelines. Apparently, it’s… jealous of you.”

“Of ME?” I looked at it where it was hanging in midair, turned away from us, and it really did look like it was sulking. “Oh my God, Cloakie! You shouldn’t be jealous of ME — you get to hug Stephen, like, ALL THE TIME! I should be jealous of YOU.”

It turned back as if to look at me, and I got the feeling that it hadn’t thought of things that way. I patted the seat next to me.

“Come on! Let’s be friends. I mean, we both think Stephen’s the greatest, so we’ve got good taste, right? And I think you’ll like this movie.”

It came a little closer, slowly, like it wasn’t quite sure whether to trust me or not.

“It’s okay — I won’t bite,” I coaxed. “And if you want to hug Stephen, I’m happy to share.”

I guess that was the invitation it was waiting for, since it quickly draped itself over Stephen like a blanket, snuggling face-down against his chest. I got just a bit of its bottom corner over my knee, but that was okay. I felt like I was beginning to understand how it was feeling.

“See? This is nice. I get half his chest, you get the other half.”

“Good God! You’re fighting over my CHEST?” Stephen said, shocked.

“Well, yeah — it’s a very NICE chest,” I replied. “Isn’t it, Cloakie?”

It only snuggled up closer to Stephen, which was all the agreement I needed. I almost forgot it was there when the movie started. Stephen had his arm wrapped around me, his hand resting on my stomach, so I gently held it in both of mine. He had told me at another training session, about a month before, that his hands were a little sensitive and that was why he didn’t often shake hands with people. He’d also mentioned the accident that had caused his scars and forced him to give up being a doctor. The movie was a bit boring since I’d seen it before, so I studied Stephen’s hand instead: he had long, slender fingers that looked like they would be really good at doing delicate things like surgery. I was sad to think how he’d gotten hurt, but if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have become a master of the mystic arts, and then we would’ve never met, so I felt a little guilty but couldn’t help being happy that we HAD met this way. Then I suddenly wondered what it would feel like to have his fingers touching me… not through my clothes but, like, directly on my skin… and… well, down THERE. And of course as soon as I thought that, I had a boner. But I couldn’t move without bumping Stephen, so I just had to wait it out and hope nobody noticed the bulge in my jeans.

It was taking a long time to go down, of course, since I could feel Stephen’s warm body right up against my back, which made me wonder if he’d want to top — I’ll admit it, I’ve watched a few gay porn videos online, just out of curiosity, and usually it’s the smaller or younger guy who gets his ass reamed — and I wondered what that would feel like… having Stephen’s cock pushing inside my ass while he held me, maybe even pounding into me once he got going… and all that imagining did NOTHING to help my boner go away. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself, and that was when I noticed Stephen’s breathing, which was long and slow and a little noisier than usual. I carefully turned my head to look back at him, and his eyes were closed. He was asleep, and somehow that was the most adorable and heartwarming thing I had ever seen. Like, he was so COMFORTABLE lying here with me that he’d slipped into sleep. I held his hand just a bit closer to my stomach, feeling warm and snug and… PROTECTIVE of him, in a strange way. I mean, I knew he was way more powerful than I could ever be and that he was perfectly capable of defending himself, but… while he was asleep and, as much as he would ever be, vulnerable… I wanted to keep him safe. It wasn’t like there were any real threats here in the Avengers facility with all the Avengers (and the Guardians of the Galaxy) around, but… I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and make sure he could sleep without being disturbed. He was MY Stephen — MY boyfriend — and more than anything else in the world, I wanted him to be safe and happy.

I felt a slight movement down by my knees and saw that the cloak was spreading itself over me, even covering my bulge so it wouldn’t be noticeable.

“Thanks,” I told it in a whisper, and it responded by tucking its edge around my shoulder. Now both Stephen and I were wrapped in a red cocoon, and it was so warm that I started to get sleepy. I yawned, then decided not to fight it, and let myself drift off to sleep too.

 

* * *

 

I woke up to the sound of shutters clicking and giggles that weren’t entirely suppressed.

“What? What’s going on?” I asked, squinting as I tried to open my eyes. I felt the bed move beneath me, then realized that it was Stephen, yawning.

“What the hell…?” he rumbled, then groaned. He must have seen how we were surrounded by the rest of the Avengers, at least half of them holding up their cell phones to take pictures.

“You guys are too cute!” Shuri declared after snapping one more picture.

“We just… fell asleep,” I said a bit defensively. “I’d already seen this movie before.”

“Yes, but you were both SMILING,” she explained, holding up her phone to show us. We really were smiling as we lay cuddled together, wrapped up by Cloakie.

“Okay, that is… super cute,” I admitted. “Can you send it to me?”

While I was giving her my number, I noticed that Stephen hadn’t let go of me — in fact he was holding me with BOTH hands now, keeping me on his lap… and I could feel… well, apparently, I wasn’t the only one with a rogue boner problem. Which made my cheeks flush with excitement and my own problem a bit… bigger. Thankfully, Cloakie was still covering both of us.

“Say, uh, Doc,” Mr. Stark said, “why don’t you come join some of us ADULTS over at the bar for a drink?”

“Thank you, but… perhaps another time,” he answered, his voice slightly strained.

“What? You hiding something under that cape of yours?”

I didn’t have to turn around to know that Stephen was dying of embarrassment, and without thinking about whether it would make things better or worse, I shot back, “Only a Heavy Gustav… but don’t worry, Mr. Stark — I’m sure he’ll use it responsibly.”

The look on Mr. Stark’s face was… well, he DID have it coming, since he obviously knew why Stephen was holding me in place and had been sort of an asshole about it. After a split second of dead silence, Captain Rogers and Bucky started laughing their heads off, and even Director Fury snorted and grinned. Clint called out from the bar, “Good thing you’re in it for the long haul, kid! Now I know what to get you guys for your wedding shower.”

“What is a…” Shuri started to ask, but her brother cut her off.

“I will explain it to you later,” he said. She glared and started typing into her phone to look it up.

“It’s the biggest cannon ever made,” I told her, shrugging an apology to King T’Challa. “I’m sorry — it’s a juvenile guy joke. But, y’know… he DID ask.”

She rolled her eyes and walked away, unimpressed, but Quill, Dax, and Scott joined in the laughter now that they got the joke.

“A doctor, a Ph.D., AND a Heavy Gustav?” Nat said, one eyebrow raised. “You scored big, kid!” She had her hand raised for a high five, which I gave her with a grin. Then I wondered about Aunt May and looked over at the other end of the couch — where she was giggling, even while she face-palmed with embarrassment. Dr. Banner gave me a thumbs-up, although his expression said TMI.

“I should probably just… go. Now,” Stephen whispered in my ear. I turned around and felt bad when I saw how red his face was, but I couldn’t let him leave without a kiss. He didn’t refuse, so that was a relief. Plus it was nice to be a little taller than him, looking down at him a bit, because I was sitting on his lap — sideways now, with my feet dangling over the arm of the couch — and Cloakie was being very kind and helpful about covering up our… situation.

“You know what? You guys are nauseating,” Mr. Stark said, sounding extremely nauseated.

“Tony!” Miss Potts chided. “Leave them alone. Can’t you see they’re in love?”

“Yeah, Tony! They’re a cute couple — leave ’em alone,” Sam teased, half laughing.

“And you need not worry for Young Peter,” Thor added, “for the Doctor of Mystic Arts has powers enough to protect him from most foes.”

“It’s not ‘most foes’ I’m worried about! I’m worried about HIM!”

I finally broke off our kiss, but only so I could whisper to Stephen, “Take me with you… back to your place.”

“Oh, Peter….” He put a hand on my cheek as he looked into my eyes. “Don’t tempt me….”

“Why not?” I put my hand over his so he couldn’t take it away. “I know what I want.”

“I know… I know you do, but….” He sighed. “I just… need some more time. Please.”

I felt a little disappointed, but I didn’t want to ask for more than Stephen could give. And when I kissed him again, I could feel him kissing back, still wanting me, and I realized that THAT was the most important thing.

“Okay,” I told him, then hugged him tight. “I’m sorry… I know I promised to wait.”

“Don’t apologize, Peter.” He was hugging me too, just as tightly. “You don’t ever have to apologize for how you feel.”

“Uh… hello? You guys planning on breaking it up anytime soon?” Mr. Stark asked.

“No, we were just gonna camp out here in the common room all night, making out to beat the band, JUST to make you uncomfortable,” Stephen sarcastically replied.

“It’s a very comfortable couch,” I put in, “and Cloakie’s really warm. I could sleep out here.”

“OR you could sleep in your own bed,” Aunt May said, standing right behind me, “so you can actually FUNCTION tomorrow instead of dragging around like a zombie all day.”

I sighed; there was no arguing with her logic. We still had half a day of training. Then I perked up as I remembered: Stephen was taking me out on a DATE in the afternoon!

“Okay, I guess I’d better turn in, then.” I carefully got up off of Stephen’s lap. “I want to get my beauty sleep so I look my best for our DATE.”

Stephen smiled — a little shyly, but it was a beautiful smile. “Then I suppose I’d better do likewise…. Can’t show up bleary-eyed and bedraggled to go out with this beautiful young thing.”

I didn’t know I could blush any more, but I did. I reached for him to help pull him up — gently — from the chair, and he thanked me with another long kiss. We ignored the wolf whistles that erupted around the room.

“Goodnight, sunshine,” Stephen said before creating a portal and disappearing for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit angsty!

Stephen beat me to breakfast Sunday morning because I had to pack up my stuff — I didn’t want to keep him waiting when we left after lunch. It took me forever to pick out an outfit to wear for our date (to put on after I showered when training was over), but he said we were just going to hang out and grab burgers, so I settled on a t-shirt with a plaid button-down to go over it in case I needed to look a bit nicer. When I finally made it to the dining room, Stephen waved me over to his table, where he already had a plate loaded for me.

“There you are,” he said with a smile as I sat down next to him. “All packed up?”

“Yeah,” I answered breathlessly, then almost swallowed my tongue when he pulled me in for a kiss. Not the French kind, but still, it was surreal to think that he actually WANTED to kiss me and didn’t care who was watching. Which at the moment included Aunt May and Dr. Banner, sitting across the table from us, but I also forgot about them while I returned the kiss with enthusiasm. Stephen tasted like… fruit and cinnamon and coffee. It left me feeling dizzy and even more breathless.

“Sorry… I suppose I should let you eat,” Stephen whispered, although his hand was still cupping my face.

“Yeah, probably,” was all I could say, mesmerized by his eyes.

“Wow…” came May’s voice. “I never thought I would see Peter so into ANYTHING that he’d forget to eat!”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I protested, then glanced down at my plate — which had all of my favorites: pancakes with blueberries, scrambled eggs with cheese and ketchup, sausage, bacon, and toast with butter and— “Is that cinnamon sugar?” I asked in shock.

“Yeah. I, uh… raided the spice cupboard,” Stephen replied. I stared back at him.

“How’d’you know…?”

“…that it’s your favorite? You told me… in the other timelines.”

“Oh… right… and you REMEMBERED?”

“Of course.” He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t even describe.

“You’d better eat, sweetie,” May reminded me, so I did.

“I’m sorry… I know this is going to take some getting used to,” Stephen said, patting my shoulder. “I know practically everything about you, which may feel somewhat… creepy.”

“No, don’t apologize,” I said around a forkful of eggs. “Just… I’m gonna need you to write down a list of all YOUR favorite things. I have a lot of catching up to do!”

“Okay.” His smile was warm and made my stomach do backflips. “I’ll work on it.”

 

* * *

  
Usually I enjoyed the Avengers training sessions, but today it seemed to drag on forever. It couldn’t end soon enough, and when it was FINALLY over, I rushed to my room to shower (making sure to wash really thoroughly so I wouldn’t smell) and changed into the outfit I’d picked out. When I got to the dining room, Stephen was already there, talking to Aunt May and Mr. Stark.

“Hey, sunshine,” he greeted me before planting a kiss on my forehead. He ruffled my hair, teasing because it was still damp. I couldn’t get any words out because he looked so damn HOT in his white t-shirt, jeans, and black sport jacket. He looked like a model out of a magazine.

“So, Peter,” Aunt May began with a twinkle in her eye, “I’ve asked Stephen to bring you home by ten o’clock tonight. I know you don’t have school tomorrow, but I don’t want you out too late.”

“Okay,” I managed to say.

“Is he always this compliant for you?” Mr. Stark put in.

“Usually, yes — although he does have a bad habit of sneaking out when he thinks I’m not looking.” May raised her eyebrows pointedly at me.

“I promise to have him home on time, no sneaking around,” Stephen assured her.

“So, ah… where exactly are you planning on taking him?” Mr. Stark asked.

“MoMA, for starters. He missed out on his class trip there because he was trying to save ME, after all.”

“Oh!” I looked up at Stephen, realizing I must have told him that in another timeline too.

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” he added as he held my shoulder and led me to the buffet line. “We’ve gone there in a few of the other timelines, and we usually have fun.”

“That sounds… awesome,” I said, internally screaming. I mean, an afternoon in an art museum? That was, like, a seriously grown-up date… WAY better than a movie or hanging out at the mall! I wasn’t sure I could eat, I was so excited, but I was hungry from the training and didn’t want my stomach to growl in the middle of the museum, so I loaded up my tray with lasagna and salad. I noticed Stephen put a lot of the white crumbly cheese on his salad and took like a dozen olives.

“So are those some of your favorite things?” I asked, feeling a bit shy.

“How could you tell?” he answered with a wink. He listed a few more of his favorite foods after we sat down. Even though we were at a table for four, nobody else joined us, which was fine by me. I just wished I had a notebook or something to write down everything he was telling me. When I mentioned that, he laughed.

“Don’t worry — I think we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other in this timeline.” He squeezed my knee under the table, sending what felt like an electric current through me.

What he said got me thinking, though.

“How long were we together in those other timelines?” I asked.

“We usually died fighting Thanos… either right away on Titan or later, when we took the fight to him… although there were quite a few times when… well, at first we didn’t know WHERE he was, so we couldn’t even avenge our people,” he admitted. “It wasn’t until Nebula figured out his location that we were able to put together any sort of plan… and then it took a few months to build a spacecraft, and another few weeks to actually get there….”

“A few months?” I echoed. “But… I thought… you said you’d watched me grow up…?”

“I did, in several timelines — when we had no way to confront Thanos,” he explained. “Sometimes the best we could do was stay on Earth to help however we could. You grew up… and we grew old together.” He took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully, which reminded me to eat too. “I’m not sure if I should tell you this,” he started up again, “but once you reach maturity, you won’t age like most humans. Your healing powers will keep you young for a long time… so long, in fact, that I had to come up with some creative and… rather desperate ways to… stay with you.”

“Oh, you mean….” I couldn’t quite finish the sentence.

“So I wouldn’t die, yes.” He smiled like it was no big deal. “I cheated Death, so she doesn’t like me very much. But it was worth it. I had… over a hundred years of happiness in one timeline alone. I can’t become immortal, of course — neither can you, which means both of us can be killed in battle — but we still managed to have some long, happy lives together.” He reached out to hold my hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. “I have to admit… it was hard for me to not choose one of those timelines… even though we never defeated Thanos or recovered all the people we had lost. But if I were being selfish… I would have chosen one of those lives… because I got to spend it with you.”

For a moment, staring into his blue-green eyes, I felt like I was drowning — not in a bad, I’m-gonna-die way, but like… I couldn’t breathe, and it was because I was in something so HUGE that it made the deep end of the pool seem like nothing. Stephen wanted to be with me… so much that he had almost given up and chosen one of the timelines where we LOST to Thanos, just to be with me… and that was simply… overwhelming. Yes, that was the word: I was OVERWHELMED.

He must have seen that in my expression, since he let go of my hand and said softly, “I’m sorry. I’m giving you too much information, too fast, am I not? After all, you’d only asked me for a dance… but here I am telling you how we’d spent our lives together, assuming we will yet again, when I don’t even know… if we should be together in this one.”

“Wh—What do you mean?” I stammered, squinting at him in confusion. “I thought you said… we were together almost every time we survived the Snap?”

“Yes, we were. But in this timeline, EVERYBODY has survived… so perhaps the person you should be with is… out there, waiting for you to find them.”

“What are you talking about? I’m supposed to be with YOU, right?”

“Not necessarily. When we got together, it was always after half the population was eliminated,” he pointed out. “Granted, every time it was a different set of people, but… the fact remains that the only times we ever became close were when half the lives in this reality were annihilated… when every populated planet was in grave distress… a time of chaos and upheaval, of universal disaster. Perhaps the person you’re meant to be with — your soulmate, if you want to call it that — didn’t die in every single one of those timelines, but there was enough confusion and disorder that you never had the chance to meet them.”

I gaped at him, unable to respond.

“You probably ended up with me only because… I was THERE,” Stephen said, not looking at me anymore. “After the first time, I… I tried not to unduly influence you, to do or say anything that might affect your choices, but… I can’t say for certain that I succeeded. Even now, in this timeline, I’ve already told you more than I ought to have, assuming… or rather, HOPING that you will choose to stay with me again… when all you’d wanted was a dance or two—”

“Wait, WHAT?” I interrupted, finally finding my voice. “You think… I’m supposed to be with someone ELSE?”

“Yes.” His voice was calm but he still wouldn’t look at me. “From everything I’ve learned, I know that there IS such a thing as destiny, whether we like it or not. And it’s more than likely that there’s somebody out there — someone closer to you in age, with more interests in common — that you’re meant to be with. I don’t want to stand in your way, Peter. You deserve to live your life to the fullest, and I… I care about you enough that I want you to. I’ve had more than my fair share of happiness — centuries of memories with you — and I really ought to… let you go.”

“You seriously want me to go find someone — even though you don’t know who it is, and who might not even EXIST — just because you think that’s my DESTINY? Just because you think they might be my SOULMATE?”

“Peter,” he began in a patient, let-me-explain-this-to-you tone, but I didn’t want to hear it.

“What makes you think YOU aren’t my soulmate?” I demanded. “If we were together so many times, why wouldn’t YOU be? Don’t you WANT to be with me anymore?”

“What? No! Of course not!” he answered, looking at me again, this time in shock. “I mean, of COURSE I want to be with you!”

“Then why are you pushing me away?”

“I… I’m not trying to… I don’t WANT to, Peter,” he choked out. “I LOVE you. I would like nothing better than to be with you… for as long as possible.”

“Then why are you trying to break up with me… before we’ve even STARTED?”

“Peter….” He stopped and took a deep breath before explaining, “I’m just… CONCERNED… that I may have overburdened you with information. That in my eagerness to regain what we had in the other timelines, I might have misled you to believe that… we’re destined to be together… when in fact, our relationship might have only been a way for you to COPE… with what was undeniably a difficult situation. You almost always lost Tony; you very often lost your aunt. Your best friend Ned was gone more than half of the time. Sometimes Happy or Miss Potts was around, but… all too often, I was the only person you had. And I fear… I may have taken advantage of that… of YOU… and manipulated you into staying with me.”

I tried to absorb what he was saying — about how I’d lost all the important people in my life — and I sort of understood what he meant about him being the only person around, but I had to respond with what my heart was telling me.

“That doesn’t sound like you took advantage of ANYTHING,” I protested. “It just sounds like… you were always THERE for me… when I needed you MOST. Like you’re my… my guardian angel, or… SOULMATE… or something.”

I had to throw in that last bit because I had been FEELING that way for the last day and a half — that he really was my soulmate. And HE must’ve felt that way, too, if we’d been together so often — if he’d wanted to choose a timeline where we lost to Thanos just so he could be with me. At least, I wanted to believe he did. Right now he was looking at me with what I can only describe as a HUNGRY expression… like he wanted me so much but was too scared to reach out and take me, his mouth moving but no words coming out. I couldn’t stand it anymore — I got up and pushed his chair back from the table so I could get right in his face.

“I WANT you to be my soulmate, okay? I don’t want anybody else. I want YOU. That’s why I asked YOU to dance with me. I didn’t think you’d even want to do that, so yeah, I’m a bit mindblown to find out that you actually want to BE with me, let alone that you hooked up with me over and over in so many timelines — God, that we even got MARRIED once! — but it’s not like I don’t WANT this, okay? I mean, sure, it might still take a while to wrap my mind around it, but I’m HAPPY about it, and… and I just wish you’d told me about it SOONER because do you know how super HARD it was to ask you for just ONE DANCE? To work up the nerve? Like I literally had to ask Mantis to help me get over my nerves ’cuz I was afraid you wouldn’t say Yes — although I hoped that maybe, just maybe, you’d do it because it was my birthday, or you’d give me a pity dance, but… now I find out that you’d kept all this a SECRET — like, you’d never even let on that you LIKED me — and I feel like I should be really, really MAD at you right now, except I’m NOT, because it’s so amazing that you’d even want to BE with me, and… and dammit, I don’t know if I’m making any sense but I just want to BE with you like all those times when we lived happily ever after for a hundred years, okay?”

The more I talked, the more I panicked because I could see Stephen’s eyes filling up with tears and the tip of his nose turning red. Knowing that he was getting emotional made ME emotional, and I wanted to stop rambling but didn’t know how. Then as I told him I wanted to be with him for a hundred years, he closed his eyes for a second, pressing his lips into a thin line, and I wanted to kiss those lips so much and make him look at me — really LOOK at me — so I crouched down and kissed him. I guess my plan was a success because he couldn’t argue with his mouth occupied like this, and when he started kissing me back I felt the heavy cloud of anxiety that had formed in my chest melt away. He cupped my cheek with one hand and slipped the other around my waist, holding me in place (although it felt a little awkward to be half-crouching like that). He broke off the kiss but didn’t let go.

“Peter… my sunshine,” he whispered. “You always were the positive one… the light of my life. Come on, sit down. You won’t crush me, don’t worry,” he added as he pulled me down onto his lap. The only way was to straddle his legs and I did sort of worry about hurting him, but I forgot that when he ran both his hands up my back and held me close. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t let my doubts and fears overtake me… but I keep thinking, ‘This time is different. Everybody survived, so there’s no need for you to be with me.’” He buried his face against my chest and I wrapped my arms around him, my chin in his hair.

“I WANT to be with you,” I said again, just to make sure he knew. “I WANT you to be my soulmate. It’s like Clint said yesterday: If we were together in all those other timelines, it means we WORK together. You’d know by now if you were gonna get tired of being with me.”

“I would NEVER grow tired of being with you, Peter,” he mumbled into my shirt. “And I can assure you… we have always been… very COMPATIBLE… in many ways.”

“Then… don’t fix it if it ain’t BROKE,” I begged him. “Please, just… give us a CHANCE! If we were happy in all those other timelines, why do you think we won’t be happy in THIS one?”

“I just… I can’t help but be worried,” he admitted as he looked up at me. “For one thing, our age difference is going to be a much bigger factor in this timeline, since the world has been set to rights. In the aftermath of the Snap, it wasn’t as big of an issue.”

“But… we were happy, right? When we were together?”

“Yes. Well… I can’t speak for you — not for certain — but… I do believe you were happy…. At least I know *I* was. Even on the darkest days, you always lifted my spirits, reminding me that it was all still worthwhile.”

“Yeah?” It was pretty amazing to think that I could ever have been an encouragement for Stephen, who was super smart and accomplished — both as a doctor and as a master of the mystic arts. There was so much history (or rather, futures in other timelines) between us that I didn’t know, which made me a little sad. It also made me realize that Stephen loved me that much more, that much deeper… and I might never be able to catch up. Even now he was looking at me with so much… well, ADORATION… that it took my breath away.

“Stephen,” I began, trying hard to string together the right words. “I… I’m sorry I don’t remember everything we did together in the other timelines.” He was about to protest but I put a finger on his lips to keep him quiet; I needed to get my thoughts out before I lost them. “May said… the more time you spend with someone, the more you fall in love with them, and… I dunno, maybe I’ll never be able to catch up to you… to love you as much as you love me… but I really, really wanna try. I want to be with you… more than anything else right now… so if you don’t mind that I don’t remember all the stuff we did together — that I might not love you back the way you do, at least not YET — I really want to have that chance. Because I think it’s just a matter of not remembering, of not KNOWING you as well as you know me, and if I did, I’m absolutely positive that I would love you back just as much.”

“Oh, Peter,” he whispered, two tears rolling down his cheeks. I kissed them away, tasting the salt on my lips.

“Besides… maybe this is really selfish of me, but… who ELSE is gonna love me like you do?” I pointed out. “You already know me better than anyone else, right? So why would I go looking for somebody else to be my soulmate… when YOU’RE right HERE? I mean, it’s the fairy-tale happily-ever-after that everybody wants — why would I ever give that up?”

“Peter… my sunshine… I should have never doubted you… or tried to argue with you.”

He laughed a little and ran a hand into my hair so I took it as my cue to bend down and kiss him again. We only stopped when we heard a throat being cleared nearby. It was Dr. Banner and Aunt May.

“Is… everything all right?” May asked.

“Perfect,” I answered.

“Perfect indeed,” Stephen murmured, sounding happy again.

“Well, uh… sorry to interrupt — we just wanted to let you know that we’re… taking off now,” Dr. Banner said with a vaguely embarrassed smile.

“We’re going to the movies,” May explained. “Do you need a ride into town?”

“Ah, no; that won’t be necessary,” Stephen answered, “but thank you.”

“Okay, well… have fun at the museum,” May said with a little wink before walking out, holding hands with Dr. Banner. I noticed that we were the only ones left in the dining room.

“Well.” Stephen let out a breath. “They sure make a cute couple.”

“Not as cute as us,” I declared with a grin as I kissed him again. I felt like I was finally getting the hang of it, if the way he kissed me back was any indication.

 

* * *

 

Stephen made a portal right to my room back home so I could leave my bag and presents there, then took us to a little alley near the Museum of Modern Art. Being a Sunday afternoon, it was pretty crowded, so it was a good thing we weren’t in any hurry to get through it. As we crawled at a snail’s pace through one of the hallways, I had the sudden urge to grab his hand — which I didn’t do, knowing his hands were sensitive from his injuries. I kept looking up at him, though, in amazement. It was more surreal to me than some of the weird paintings we were looking at to think that Stephen was actually my BOYFRIEND. Well, I was assuming he was, even though we’d never used that particular word.

“What?” he asked me with a smile when he caught me staring.

“Nothing! I just… I’d really like to hold hands… but I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, Peter… I know you have superhuman strength, but you’ve always been very gentle with me.”

His mouth twitched as he said that, cluing me in that he MEANT the sexual innuendo. I felt my face turn red-hot in an instant, but before I could say something stupid, he pulled up my hand and wrapped it around his elbow. “This was the best way that we figured out in the other timelines,” he said, leaning toward me so only I could hear.

“Awesome,” I breathed, heart racing as I felt our bodies draw closer together. He placed his other hand on top of mine and patted it — as naturally as if he’d done it a million times before. Maybe he HAD done it a million times before. It made me dizzy to think about, so I rested my head against his shoulder. He chuckled, a warm, deep sound that reverberated all the way down to my toes. I was happy enough to burst!

I didn’t care much for the abstract art, probably because I couldn’t understand it, but I was relieved when Stephen laughed and said he didn’t understand it either. The photographs were more interesting to both of us, as well as the impressionist paintings, since they actually looked like things we could recognize. It was neat to see some really famous pieces — like I had never realized that Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” was right here in New York, as well as Monet’s “Water Lilies” — and the sizes were interesting too. I would’ve never known how huge Monet’s paintings were, and some of the other ones were way smaller than I expected. We chatted as we walked, pointing out stuff we liked about the various exhibits.

“This is always your favorite exhibit,” Stephen told me as we turned into another room. It had a bunch of architectural models, all extremely detailed and some with futuristic designs. 

“Wow! No wonder… look at this one! I wonder how long it took to make it? And that one looks like a super-nice apartment complex. If it’s a model for one they actually built, it would be cool to go see the real thing.”

“It might say on the description,” Stephen suggested, so we stepped over to read it.

“I guess not… although hey, someone might see this and decide to build it!”

“Maybe we should show these to Tony,” he said with a grin. I had to laugh.

“I think he’s got his hands full for now. Not like he ever needs any new projects! But I wonder if they’d be interested in building stuff like this in Wakanda?”

“You could ask Princess Shuri. You two certainly seem to be… on the same wavelength.”

Something about the way he said that made me look up and scrutinize his face.

“Stephen…? Are you… JEALOUS?” I asked, not believing it even as I said it. But then his cheeks started getting pink.

“Well… it’s just that… you two always seemed to… speak the same language, as it were,” he explained slowly, turning redder by the moment. “I was almost wondering if… if maybe… she might not be a… a better choice for you… at least in this timeline….”

“Don’t! Seriously, Stephen, just… DON’T,” I demanded. “That’s not even… I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’s really nice and super smart, and I’ve already learned a lot from her on our training weekends, but… that’s just… like, I’d never even THOUGHT about it — not until you said it — and it just feels… WEIRD. Almost as if… I dunno, I don’t have any sisters, but almost like dating a sister, I think.”

“All right… if you say so,” Stephen replied with a smile, and I thought he looked relieved.

“Remember, I didn’t ask HER to dance with me; I asked YOU.”

“Duly noted.”

He patted my hand again where it was touching his arm, so I gave him a little squeeze, feeling excited and happy to see HIM looking happy. We walked along with the flow of the crowd and entered another room of exhibits. I was about to comment on the ugly sculpture in the corner when we were interrupted.

“Stephen?”

“Christine…!”


	5. Chapter 5

If I hadn’t already been looking at Stephen’s face, I might have missed his face journey, it happened so fast. He went from surprised and happy to embarrassed and awkward in an instant, then shut off and smiling like you do when you HAVE to be nice, like when a teacher walks into the room unexpectedly.

“What a pleasant surprise,” he said. I glanced at the woman who’d called his name and did a double-take — she was PRETTY. Like, seriously pretty. Hair up, makeup on point, wearing a nice blue dress that looked almost TOO nice for the museum. There was a guy behind her wearing a suit and also looking a bit overdressed.

“I… didn’t expect to run into you… here, of all places,” she was saying. “Um… Stephen, this is Jim Kurtz. He’s an attorney. Jim, this is Stephen Strange — we used to work together at the hospital. Stephen was one of our best neurosurgeons.”

“Only ONE of them?” Stephen joked. “You WOUND me, Dr. Palmer! Pleasure to meet you, Jim,” he added with a nod.

“Likewise,” Jim said, extending a hand. He was a short guy, good-looking, but his smile seemed forced.

“Ah… you’ll have to excuse me,” Stephen apologized, holding out his hand to show the scars and how it trembled. “I was injured in an accident — the reason why I’m no longer a surgeon.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that,” Jim responded politely.

“And who’s your friend?” the woman asked. I realized she meant me.

“This is Peter — Peter Parker,” Stephen answered. “Peter, this is Dr. Christine Palmer. She’s head of the ER at Metro-General.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, unwrapping my right hand from Stephen’s arm to offer it to her.

“Nice to meet YOU,” she repeated back cheerfully, but I caught her looking at Stephen with an obvious question in her eyes, and he was blushing again.

“Hi, Peter,” Jim was saying, so I shook his hand too. “Is this your first time at MoMA?”

“Yeah. I missed my class trip here, so Stephen brought me today.”

“Oh!” Dr. Christine said. “Well, that’s nice of… Stephen.” She put a weird emphasis on his name.

“It seemed only fair since he missed his class trip on my account,” Stephen explained. “He was, ah… assisting me on an important project that day.”

“A project?” Dr. Christine’s eyebrows went up.

“He’s an intern at Stark Industries,” Stephen smoothly put in.

“Really? At Stark Industries? How old are you, Peter?”

“I just turned seventeen,” I told her, “but I’ve been doing this internship for a few years now.”

“Wow! I didn’t even know they took interns so young.”

“It’s like a mentorship program,” Stephen said. “Tony Stark has taken a special interest in Peter. I suppose he reminds him of himself: bright and talented, with enormous potential.”

“So you must be really smart,” Jim remarked. He sounded a bit patronizing, but I shrugged, more distracted from wondering if Stephen and Dr. Christine had only WORKED together.

“I just do whatever Mr. Stark tells me to do and try not to mess things up. I’ve learned a lot from him… plus I get to meet some cool people.”

“Sounds exciting,” Dr. Christine said.

“Have you met any of the other Avengers?” Jim asked.

“Yeah! They’re awesome… a lot of fun to hang out with… when they don’t have to be out fighting somewhere, saving the world.”

As I said that, I noticed Dr. Christine was looking pointedly at Stephen again, clearly asking him something with just her face — and I realized that she was asking him about ME. Like, “Who the hell is this kid?” or something. It bothered me that she was so laser-focused on Stephen, as if she could get an answer out of him by just staring at him… as if they had their own secret code language. I felt a cold, heavy ball form in the pit of my stomach.

“That’s a dream job for a kid your age, isn’t it?” Jim was saying. “Hell, that would be a dream job for ANYbody, regardless of age! So, uh… Stephen is one of your mentors too?”

“Ah… not exactly,” Stephen answered before I could. “I just do some… consulting work for Stark, which is how I met Peter….”

“Oh, so you’re working as a consultant now?” Dr. Christine asked. “I was wondering what you’ve been up to since… the accident.”

She put a weird emphasis on “accident” too, although I almost didn’t notice — I was internally fuming because Stephen didn’t tell them that we were on a date, that I wasn’t just some KID he was mentoring but his BOYFRIEND, who he’d hooked up with in half a million alternate timelines. Was it because he was embarrassed? Was he ASHAMED to be seen with me? I hadn’t wrapped my arm back around his after shaking their hands; maybe he didn’t even WANT me to. Maybe — and this hurt worse than getting stabbed through the heart — he’d rather be walking through the museum arm-in-arm with Dr. Christine. She was super pretty, and she probably understood all the doctor-y stuff that was important to Stephen. Sure, I knew a little bit about his magic, but it wasn’t like I understood how it all worked. What did I have in common with him, after all? Basically ZERO. Plus she was a grown-up, close to him in age. Maybe when he’d mentioned finding someone who had more common interests, he’d meant for HIMSELF. I wanted to kick at the floor to try to get rid of the awful feeling inside of me, but I knew I couldn’t — if I cracked it, people could get hurt.

“I’ve been trying to find ways in which to make my expertise useful,” Stephen was telling her. “Thankfully, with the wide range of interests Stark Industries now has, I get called in from time to time to help out with various projects.”

“That’s very interesting,” Jim said, rather blandly. “I suppose it’s all top-secret stuff?”

“Some of it is classified, yes,” Stephen replied. “The rest would simply bore you unless you’re in the field.”

“Well, thanks for sparing us, then,” Jim returned with an obviously strained smile. “We really should get going. It’s our first date and we have reservations at The Modern.”

“Oh, of course! Enjoy your dinner,” Stephen said with his own strained smile. Something inside of me clicked — I was now POSITIVE that he and Dr. Christine had been together before — and that just made me snap.

“What a coincidence,” I blurted out. “It’s our first date too!”

Dr. Christine looked like she’d swallowed a herd of spiders. “Uh… WHAT?”

I latched back on to Stephen’s arm, feeling rebellious, and gave her my very best shit-eating grin. “Yeah, this is our first official date… now that I’m finally seventeen and LEGAL and all.”

“I beg your pardon?” Jim said, making it sound like a demand. “You’re only seventeen… and you’re—”

“Old enough to be his father, yes,” Stephen finished for him. He didn’t sound happy, but he didn’t sound mad, either, just… tired. “Old enough to know better, even.”

“You’re not serious.” Dr. Christine kept looking at the two of us in turns, as if expecting us to tell her it was a joke.

“I’m DEAD serious,” Stephen answered, his voice a low rumble. “I would HAVE to be to even contemplate it… knowing how most people would consider it problematic… predatory… and even PERVERTED.”

She opened and closed her mouth like she was trying to say something but couldn’t figure out what.

“I DO find it problematic,” Jim declared, taking a step closer to me — like he wanted to drag me away from Stephen. “If you’re in a position of any authority over him at work, whether he’s a minor or not, this would be considered harassment… even exploitation!”

“It’s not like that,” I put in, miffed at still being treated like a kid. “Stephen isn’t my boss or anything — we just work together on some projects. And it’s not like he’s BLACKMAILING me into going out with him — I’m here because I WANT to be! As a matter of fact, *I* was the one who first asked him to dance, at my birthday party. I was really hoping he would, even if it was just to be nice… so when he asked me out, I JUMPED at the chance!”

Dr. Christine was still staring at Stephen in shock.

“And I could scarcely believe,” he added, patting my hand again as a genuine smile began to grow on his lips, “that this beautiful, smart, and CHARMING young man would ever be interested in a crusty old guy like me… so yes — even though I realize how this looks to the rest of the world, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to… spend some time with Peter… outside of work… to see if things might possibly work out.”

“Well… ah….” Jim was having trouble stringing words together too. “I, uh… I have to tell you, I work as a child advocate attorney… and I’ve often seen what’s called ‘grooming’ — where a predator gains a minor’s trust, then gradually desensitizes them to accept their behavior as normal—”

“Good God!” I burst out. “Stephen’s not a PREDATOR! He’s a DOCTOR for chrissakes! He would never hurt me — he COULDN’T.”

“But that’s what they all WANT you to think,” Jim kept on. “If he’s built up a rapport with you over the course of working together—”

“I trust him with my LIFE,” I interrupted. “He’s one of the GOOD guys, okay? I know because I’ve seen him in action! He’s worked with Mr. Stark on super important stuff, even when it was dangerous. He didn’t HAVE to, but he DID… because it was the RIGHT thing to do.”

I couldn’t help getting mad at the guy since he was basically accusing Stephen of being a monster, but I got backup from an unexpected corner.

“He’s right,” Dr. Christine said. “I’ve known Stephen for years… through some really tough times too, and… he may not be perfect, but he would never take advantage of someone.” Her lips twitched. “He just wouldn’t — he’s too damn PROUD.”

“Well, uh… thank you for that assessment, Dr. Palmer,” Stephen murmured, his expression unreadable. “I suppose… better a PROUD ass than a PREDATORY one.”

“Peter,” Jim said, reaching behind for his wallet, “I want to give you my card. I know you THINK you’re all right, but… if you ever want to talk, if you ever feel like something’s not quite right, I want you to call me. I know, I know — you think you won’t ever need it, but… humor me. Just take it for my peace of mind, won’t you?”

I was going to refuse, but Stephen added, “You might have need of it sometime — for someone else.”

“Okay.” I took the card and looked it over. “But I won’t be needing your services for ME. I plan to be with Stephen for a hundred years at least.”

Jim looked confused and worried, but Stephen began gently pulling me away.

“I do hope you enjoy your dinner. I’ve heard wonderful things about The Modern,” he called out to both of them.

“Stephen… take care,” Dr. Christine said in a way that made it sound like a real warning.

“We will,” he shot back, wrapping his hand over mine. He quickly led me through a crowded hallway — where it was too noisy to talk — to a less popular room. There he pulled me over to the side and turned to face me, staring down into my face with an intense expression.

“I’m so sorry, Peter,” he began before I could say anything, cupping my cheek with his free hand. “I should have told them right away. I… I was a coward. You deserve better than that.”

“I…. Okay,” I mumbled. Now I felt bad about spilling the beans the way I had. “I’m sorry I outed you like that. That was… not cool. I just….”

“I know, I know,” he said as he untangled our arms so he could hold me close. “It wasn’t fair to you to let them think we were in some sort of… Big Brother mentoring program. You’re so much more than your tender years….”

As he pressed his lips to my forehead, the cold hard lump in my stomach started to melt, but I felt stupid and ridiculous and even WORSE than when I’d realized that Stephen and Dr. Christine had been an item — after all, I’d just PROVEN that I was an immature kid! Maybe he would finally get sick and tired of me in this timeline….

“Peter?” he asked, still hugging me tightly. “I promise, it won’t happen again. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place! If I’d been honest right from the start, you wouldn’t have felt compelled to tell them. I’m… so sorry, Peter. Please… will you forgive me?”

I was surprised to hear him sound anxious, so I looked up at him even though I really wanted to just disappear somehow. SEEING him looking anxiously back at me was… astonishing.

“It’s okay,” I managed. “I shouldn’t have blurted it out, either…. I should have talked with you first about, y’know… how we introduce each other to people.”

Stephen shook his head. “No, Peter, it shouldn’t have been an issue! I shouldn’t CARE what people think about it — about US. I DON’T, really.”

“Except you DID,” I pointed out, unable to stop the words. The last bit of bitterness inside of me just spilled out. “You didn’t want Dr. Christine to know.”

He went very still for a fraction of a second. I didn’t need any confirmation, but I had it.

“I…. Yes… you’re right,” he admitted at last. “I was afraid of… of what she might think of me.”

“You two were together before,” I stated, staring at the front of his shirt. I wanted to run away someplace where nobody would see me cry.

“Yes.” He bent down to get right into my face where I couldn’t avoid his eyes. “That was a long time ago… although I’ll confess, I still have a… a soft spot… for Christine. She was there for me during some of my darkest days, and… I was HORRIBLE to her. I repaid her kindness with the worst possible behavior. I… I hope I’m not the same person now as I was then… particularly because I would hate to treat you that way… although it seems I’ve already hurt you with my cowardice….”

He closed his eyes and sighed, which made me realize how bad he felt — not over my telling Dr. Christine about us, but over how he’d made me feel by NOT telling her. And in a weird way, I felt worse about HIM feeling bad than anything else.

“It’s okay — I’m the one who should be sorry,” I told him. “I mean, you would have told her about us eventually, right? I just… I didn’t want to wait—”

“No, no, no,” he interrupted. “You shouldn’t apologize at all! *I* was the one being an asshole.”

“No you weren’t! I was just… I was a little… JEALOUS… that’s all….”

“Jealous… of Christine? Oh, Peter! That was literally THOUSANDS of years ago for me — MILLIONS of timelines ago! It’s only a very distant, faint memory.” He kissed me on the cheek, his lips lingering on my skin. “Peter… my sunshine… you have NOTHING to be jealous of… not about Christine. I assure you, she and I were over before we had barely begun. Even if we’d somehow managed to stay together longer than we did, I honestly don’t think we could have lasted… not like you and I have.”

“...Really?”

“Really.” He pulled me close again and whispered in my ear, “Peter… my dearest… across all the timelines and dimensions I have visited… YOU are the one my soul longs for the most.”

Speechless, I hugged him back, letting his words and warmth soak in. I believed him — I couldn’t explain how or why, but I just KNEW that he meant what he said — and I felt calm and satisfied and… even happy again.

“Okay,” I mumbled against his neck.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” The relief in his voice was palpable. “Because the security guard over there has been… WATCHING us.”

I pulled back so I could glance around the room and saw the guard look away just as I looked at him. But when I turned back to Stephen, his focus was firmly on me. ME, of all people! And he was gazing at me, studying my face like he wanted to make sure I was REALLY okay now, so I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. Nothing messy, just… to let him know how much I liked him… because I did. The gentle way he kissed me back was all I needed right then, too.

“We should… probably move elsewhere,” he said when we broke apart.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

As he led me to another level, I kept hold of his arm — and started noticing how many people would see us and frown, like in disapproval or maybe concern. It made me wonder how often Stephen had had to put up with it in all the timelines… and if maybe it was beginning to wear him down.

“Say,” I asked him under the noise of echoing voices in a large exhibit room, “is there any magic you can use to make me look older?”

“Peter, I….” He swallowed and started again. “Why? Does it bother you that—”

“No, not at all!” I interrupted. “But I don’t want it to bother YOU. After all, everybody seems to blame YOU, just because you’re the older one.”

“Oh, Peter,” he murmured, then added, “It’s okay — I’m used to it.”

“But… I mean, doesn’t it get old? Having so many people judging you? I just thought, if I could look a little older, maybe grow a beard or something….”

“That’s not necessary. I promise.” He squeezed my hand where it rested on his arm. “Other than my most recent and COLOSSAL display of cowardice, it’s never bothered me what others might think of us. Although I suppose that’s difficult for you to believe right now….”

“Just a little,” I had to admit. I looked around the room to see if anyone was scowling at us at the moment and caught a glimpse of a familiar head turning away. Even from the opposite end of the room, I was sure I recognized the hair, sunglasses, and body shape. “Hey, is that Happy?” I asked, pointing.

“What? Oh, God…!”

Stephen’s groan confirmed it.

“He’s following us, isn’t he? Mr. Stark must have sent him….”

Before Stephen could stop me, I unwrapped my arm from his and took off after Happy, ducking through the crowd. He’d walked into the next room but hadn’t gone far, so I caught up to him right away.

“Hey, Happy! Good to see ya, man!” I said as I grabbed him in a bear hug and slapped his back — sometimes it was good to have super strength, because I wasn’t about to let him go. “Did Mr. Stark give you the day off or something?”

“Uh… hi, kid! Yeah, this is my, uh… annual de-stressing weekend, y’know, where I get to… try to de-stress,” he said with a strained smile.

“Oh, so you’re not working right now?” I played along for just another moment. “But then Happy, why are you carrying this signal booster pack” — I smacked the thin transmitter array hidden on his back under his suit — “and controlling a reconnaissance drone with your cell phone?” I made my best shocked face. “Oh my God, Happy! You’re not SPYING on us, ARE you?”

He rolled his eyes. “I TOLD you this was a bad idea!” he growled, but of course he wasn’t talking to me.

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” I said into the tiny microphone clipped into Happy’s lapel buttonhole. “This is super-creepy, you know? Like, not in a cool way. Not cool at all.”

He must have said something to Happy, because he switched his cell off of wireless earbud mode and handed it to me. “Hey, Peter,” Mr. Stark’s voice came through as soon as I took it. “How’s it going? Bit of a rough bump there with the foxy lady doctor, eh? Apparently those two were an item back in the day—”

“Yeah, tell me something I DON’T know,” I bit back. “Why are you spying on us? It’s our first date for chrissakes!”

“Whoa! Watch your language, young man — you know Cap doesn’t approve of potty-mouths!”

“And he’d be okay with you having us followed, like we’re some sort of CRIMINALS or something? Geez, I thought we were on the same team!”

“Now look, Petey, I was only concerned that you have a good, SAFE first date,” he began, but I cut him off.

“You don’t have to worry, Mr. Stark — Stephen’s a doctor, after all. He knows all about safe sex.”

I heard something that sounded like Mr. Stark swallowing his tongue at the same time as Stephen strangled a cry right behind me. Happy just heaved a sigh.

“P-P-Peter Fitzgerald Parker!” Mr. Stark spluttered. “Your aunt might have given you permission to DATE the doctor, but she did NOT say it was okay t-t-to do the hokey-pokey!”

I couldn’t help scrunching up my face. “‘The hokey-pokey’? Seriously, is THAT what they used to call it back in your day? I’m never gonna hear that song the same way again….”

“NO! I mean… YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”

“Gosh, Mr. Stark, I wouldn’t have pegged you as a prude… I thought you were one of the world’s most famous playboys… or at least WAS until Miss Potts caught you….”

“Peter! Do NOT do as I did! Do you hear me? I expect you to be BETTER than I ever was in my misspent youth, all right?”

“Yeah, sure, okay,” I said blandly. “But you do realize, I could spend DAYS — even WEEKS or MONTHS — having wild, crazy, AMAZING sex with Stephen, and he could just rewind time so I show up at home by my curfew, right?”

There was dead silence from the phone. Stephen literally facepalmed while Happy looked like he was about to hurl.

“Anyhow, thanks for your concern, but you really need to tone down your creep factor,” I pressed on. “You wouldn’t want to find a reconnaissance drone in your hotel suite on your honeymoon, would you?” I let the threat sink in before closing with, “Goodnight, Mr. Stark. Hope you can sleep well tonight. I’m pretty sure *I* will!” and ended the call.

“Oh… my God,” Stephen mumbled into his hands. “I can’t believe you told him that….”

“He should’ve thought about it himself,” I pointed out. “I mean, if we REALLY wanted to get into trouble, it’s not like anybody can stop us! But instead you take me out on a nice, normal date… and still, he sends a chaperone after us.” I grabbed Happy’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I think you’ve earned an ACTUAL day off now. You should go and enjoy it. Y’know, do whatever makes YOU happy.”

He nodded and shuffled off, stuffing his cell in his pocket.

“So.” Stephen took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. “Obviously, this location was a poor choice for our first date. We keep getting… interrupted….”

“No, I like it! It’s not YOUR fault that we keep bumping into people... or that Mr. Stark is taking this whole ‘father figure’ thing a little too seriously.”

“Right… but I was wondering if you’d care to go somewhere… quieter… less crowded. Maybe just… walk for a while?”

“That sounds great!” I grabbed his arm again, glad to get close to him.

“Okay. I was thinking we could stop by Five Guys for some burgers and take them to Central Park,” he explained as we went down some stairs. “Have ourselves a little picnic.”

“Awesome!”

It really would have been awesome, except that as we left the building, we were startled by a bunch of cameras going off and a crowd of people shouting, asking us questions.

“Peter! How did you get your internship at Stark Industries?”

“Dr. Strange, you disappeared from the public eye after your accident — what are you doing now? What is your role at Stark Industries?”

“Are you involved in the Avengers program?”

“Is it true that you’re in a relationship despite your twenty-five-year age difference?”

I turned to Stephen, my mouth hanging open. “What the HELL?”

He looked just as perplexed as I felt. “I have NO idea….”

“How long have you two been romantically involved?”

“Dr. Strange, what would you say to people who accuse you of being a pedophile?”

“WHOA! WHOA!” I yelled, instantly furious at the use of that last word. “Stephen is NOT a pedophile because I am NOT a child! I’m seventeen and I’m legally allowed to date anyone I want! And if anyone ever accuses Stephen of that again, I’ll… I’ll ask Mr. Stark to sue their pants off for libel!”

I was surprised at how well that worked — apparently the media knew just how powerful Mr. Stark’s legal team was. They all shut up at once.

“Why the hell are you here, anyway?” I demanded. “What do you care who I’m dating? I’m a nobody and Stephen’s… been off of the grid for YEARS.”

“You’re hardly a nobody,” one woman said, holding up her cell. “You’re the youngest intern Stark Industries has ever had… and Tony Stark PERSONALLY threw your birthday party.”

The photograph on her screen was of Stephen and me kissing. I recognized what we were wearing, and we were in the dining room at the Avengers facility — it was from my party.

“Your classmates posted a lot of pictures on social media,” she explained.

“Ah, well… the cat’s out of the bag, then,” Stephen dryly remarked.

“Sorry, I didn’t think to tell them—” I began, but he laughed and took my hand off his arm.

“It’s all right, Peter; I don’t mind.” He put on his sling ring. “Now, as for the rest of your questions… here is my answer,” he called out to the reporters, then made a large portal. “Come on,” he whispered as he took my hand and stepped through the ring of sparks. It disappeared as soon as I got through it, but not before I saw all the reporter’s shocked faces, which made me laugh.

“Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum,” he told me with a smile. “Or… in other timelines, at least… our home.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter to wrap things up. SMUT AHEAD!

“Our… home?” I echoed, looking around at the huge stairway, the bookshelves, and all the couches and chairs. Every corner was filled with old-looking, interesting stuff.

“Yes. Since I’m responsible for this Sanctum, you always came to live with me.”

“Wow… that’s… AWESOME!”

“It truly is,” Stephen said in a quiet way that made me turn back to him. He must have been watching me the whole time that I was ogling the place.

“So we… lived here together,” I restated slowly. “You must have a lot of memories….”

“I do,” he agreed, then stepped closer to hold my shoulders. “I wish I could share them all with you.”

“You will, right? I mean, maybe not ALL of them, but at least all the best ones?”

“I will certainly try,” he promised, his eyes warm as he smiled.

“Cool.” I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. “And maybe someday… I’ll carry you over the threshold.”

“I…. Okay….”

I wasn’t sure why he was getting choked up — I mean, HE was the one who told me that we got married in one of the other timelines, after all — but I kissed him again to let him know that I meant it. When we finally had to stop for air, I pointed at the large circular window at the top.

“I saw that window the one time I swung by here. Mr. Stark said you lived really close to me, so I wanted to check it out.”

“Oh! You should have let me know. I would have invited you in for tea at the very least.”

“Yeah, well… I was a bit shy. You were nice to me at training and stuff, but I didn’t know you that well, and I didn’t want to just… barge in on you. Not without an invitation, y’know.”

“You are always welcome here, Peter… and I… regret that I hadn’t told you so sooner.” He hugged me tightly. “This building has always felt… brighter and warmer… and happier… whenever you’re in it.”

Now it was MY turn to get all teary-eyed, because that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me. Stephen held me for a long time, whispering, “My Peter… my sunshine…” over and over into my ear, and I didn’t want him to stop.

“I thought you were going out,” came Master Wong’s voice from somewhere above us. I turned to see him on the stairs.

“Change of plans,” Stephen told him. “The paparazzi were after us.”

“I saw. The footage of you disappearing into a portal is starting to trend on the internet. Thought you’d go somewhere more romantic, though.”

“We’re just here to… regroup,” Stephen said. “We WERE going to have a picnic in Central Park, but that’s probably not a good idea at this point.”

Wong nodded. “You could use the Rotunda of Gateways to find a secluded spot.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking.” Stephen turned to me to say, “After we grab some food, we can go wherever you like — a beach, maybe the mountains, or some other place with a great view.”

“Oh.” I let that sink in. This magic stuff was amazing! But that wasn’t really what I wanted to do right now. “Um… would it be okay if we just… stayed here? Mr. Stark said you lived in a museum, and it sure looks like it, and… well, I know you’re here all the time so it’s probably not interesting for you anymore, but I’d like to see everything! If… if that’s all right?”

I added that last bit because Stephen was looking at me with a weird expression, but he smiled right away.

“Of course it’s all right! I should have thought of that. I’d just forgotten… this is your first time here. Of course you want to look around!” He shook his head ruefully. “You’re right when you said I must have a lot of memories — in fact, so many are of you LIVING here that I need to remind myself that you never experienced those timelines.”

“I didn’t either,” Master Wong put in. “Are either of you screamers? Should I move back to Kamar-Taj?”

“No! There’s no need for you to move out, and I’ll… spell our room so it’s soundproof… once we… get around to that,” Stephen replied, blushing. “For now, why don’t we grab some burgers. You in, Wong?”

“I could be persuaded.”

“Good. With any luck, we won’t get mobbed by the paparazzi while waiting for our order.”

Stephen created a portal into an alleyway that was right behind a Five Guys, and as the three of us went in and ordered, nobody even looked twice at Master Wong’s robes — this was New York, after all. Then we came back to the Sanctum, where they led me into the kitchen.

“We do have a formal dining room, but we rarely use it,” Stephen explained. “For just the three of us, I hope the kitchen table is okay.”

“Yeah, no prob,” I told him. I was hungry from smelling the fries, so I was happy just to sit down and start munching them. “You’ll have to take me on the grand tour later, though. I need to know my way around if I’m gonna live here.”

“You… want to… live here?” Stephen asked, staring at me without even touching his fries.

“Well, yeah! DUH!” I said and swallowed. “I already told you: you’re my happily-ever-after fairy tale. I’m not about to give that up!”

“Does that make me the fairy godmother?” Wong asked, deadpan, and it was a good thing I didn’t have anything in my mouth at that point or I might have spewed it at Stephen. It was nice to see him crack up too, though — it made him look younger and… less intimidating, I guess. He saw me watching him and gave me a goofy grin, then squeezed my knee. And as weird as it seemed, in that moment I suddenly felt like I had come home for the first time in my life.

 

* * *

 

Mr. Stark wasn’t kidding when he’d said the place was like a museum. Stephen explained a lot of the artifacts and magical relics as he showed me around, and it was enough to make my head spin.

“Just don’t open anything — like lidded pots or boxes — without checking with me first,” he warned. “Sometimes I trap mystic aliens in pocket dimensions that I create in whatever containers are nearby, so if you release them… well, you could probably handle most of them — physically, anyway — but I’d rather not risk you getting hurt. A few of them pack a wallop.”

“Okay… don’t open any containers: check,” I said as I bent down to look at a shelf of daggers. Through the glass case, I saw Cloakie floating over from the other side of the room. “Hey, Cloakie!”

It settled on Stephen’s shoulders and wrapped itself tight around his body.

“Honestly,” Stephen muttered, “there’s no need for you to be so clingy! I love you both… just… in different ways.”

I laughed because it was funny to think that Cloakie was jealous of me. “It’s okay — I’m not gonna take him away from you,” I told it, but it still stuck to him like shrink-wrap.

Stephen sighed before walking towards the big round window. “Would you care to look outside? The view from up here is pretty awesome… although I suppose you’re used to seeing the city from even higher.”

“I always like seeing it from a new perspective though,” I said, joining him as he opened a pair of regular windows onto a little balcony. “Oh, this IS nice!”

“It is, isn’t it?” He pushed Cloakie open so he could wrap his arms around me from behind, then kissed the back of my ear. “You often came home from your patrols here… and I’d be waiting with a bottle of wine… once you were old enough to drink, of course.”

“Of course,” I agreed, smiling happily at the thought. It was nice to lean back against him and feel his warmth. It was so perfect and comfortable and… HOME, I thought again. “Is it weird that this feels like home already?” I asked. “I felt that way when we were eating in the kitchen too.”

“I… don’t know….” His breath warmed my ear. “Do you… generally NOT feel at home? At your aunt’s apartment?”

“That’s the only home I’ve known in years… since my parents died,” I considered. “I mean… I do feel at home there… but this is… DIFFERENT. I feel like I’m finally where I BELONG.”

Stephen was quiet for a long time before he said anything again. “Peter… I know your spider-sense warns you of imminent danger… but do you have any other extrasensory perceptions or… psychic abilities? Like, can you sense what other people are feeling?”

“No… I don’t think so. I’ve never felt anything like that… and I think I would’ve noticed by now if I could read people’s minds… or feelings.”

“Okay. I’m just wondering… whether you can sense my memories of you living here… or, possibly, if you have somehow sensed your memories from the other timelines… but of course that’s impossible — you’ve never experienced those timelines! And they would be running concurrent to this one right now.” He sighed again.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t make sense — I only know THIS timeline.” I twisted around to kiss his cheek. “I think it just means… I’m MEANT to be here.”

Stephen looked down at me and rocked me gently from side to side. “I hope so,” he whispered. “I really, really hope so… because I want you to stay here… forever.”

“Me too… but I hope by ‘here’ you don’t mean RIGHT here,” I teased, “because you still haven’t shown me the ONE PLACE I want to see more than anything else….”

“What? Oh!” He blushed as he realized what I meant. “You mean….”

“Yeah.” I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, Cloakie and all. “Will you take me there?” He hesitated, so I added, “I don’t care if it’s a mess.”

“It’s not that,” he insisted, flushing even darker. “It’s just… once I get you there… I don’t know if I’ll be able to… hold back.”

“You don’t have to on MY account,” I reminded him. “You know I’m ready.” I pulled him down to kiss him again, this time with my mouth open, inviting him to taste and probe. He did, but only for a minute before backing away.

“Peter,” he groaned, then I felt a weird sensation like I was flattened and twisted and spun around for a split second before we came back out to the normal world with a silent pop. I took in our new surroundings, trying to get my bearings.

“So… this is your bedroom?” I asked stupidly. It was spartan and neat, like I should have expected it to be, with a big bed in the middle, a desk with a laptop along one wall, and a doorway leading to a bathroom on the other side.

“OUR bedroom,” Stephen said. “At least… it was in those other timelines… the ones that mattered, anyway.”

“It’s nice…. Your bed is huge. OUR bed is huge,” I corrected, then grinned at him.

“I expanded it to accommodate my height,” he explained. “I… hadn’t expected you to be joining me this time around, so I didn’t make it any wider… although we never needed it much wider than this….”

“So… which side is mine?”

“Um… this side… sort of,” he said, pointing to the desk side, to our right.

“‘Sort of’?”

“Well, we… didn’t really pick sides, per se… we just always ended up in the middle… tangled up….”

“Oh!” I tried to imagine it as I pulled him closer to the foot of the bed. “Show me?”

“Peter….”

He hesitated, so I picked him up like a princess in a movie, then gently set him down on the bed. Cloakie unwrapped itself from him and floated away in a huff.

“You did that… when we got married too,” Stephen said, sounding out of breath. I climbed onto the bed after him and straddled him on all fours.

“So you were saying we always end up in the middle… tangled up?”

“Yeah…. Your arms never go numb, even when they’ve been pinned under me all night, so you usually lie on top of me — that way I don’t have to support my weight or have MY hands pinned under you.”

“Like this?” I asked while slipping my arms around him, hugging him and lowering my body onto his at the same time. I was startled when I felt his boner through his jeans.

“Yes… and I probably shouldn’t tell you,” he whispered, “but I’ve always found it… IRRESISTIBLE… when you manhandle me….”

“That’s… good to know,” I said, blushing as I felt my own cock rise to the occasion. Knowing that he was aroused — for ME, from something I’D done — made me feel awesome and aroused and… even POWERFUL. “I can manhandle you any time you want,” I promised.

“I know. Trust me, I know,” Stephen replied with a groan. “And it doesn’t take much to get me going… for you, anyway.”

His hands were rubbing my back, up and down along my spine, and I could feel their warmth even through my two shirts. I face-planted into his chest, enjoying how his warmth was all over me now: on my cheek, my torso, and where our legs were pressed together. It was the most wonderful, most comfortable feeling ever.

“I don’t ever want to leave,” I mumbled against his t-shirt.

“I don’t want you to.” He was running his fingers through my hair, cupping the back of my head. “Peter… my sunshine….”

His voice wavered when he said that so I looked up and saw that he was crying — like, literally crying, eyes squeezed shut as tears rolled out of the corners.

“You okay?” I asked without thinking.

“Oh, yes… I’m more okay than I… ever imagined I would be,” he answered, smiling even though he kept his eyes closed. “This… THIS is the best part, Peter — having you here with me, in my arms. I thought… it would never happen again… that I’d never experience… being with you like this… in this timeline.” He sniffed loudly, then let out a laugh. “This is what I missed the most… and I’m… so unbelievably HAPPY to have you back!”

I slithered up his body, careful not to crush or hurt him, and propped myself up on my arms so I could kiss him — his jaw, his chin, his neck, and eventually his lips. He shuddered and his cock twitched when I kissed the side of his neck, so I made a mental note of it. He made me jump, though, by sliding his hands under my t-shirt and touching my back. I thought my boner would rip right through the front of my pants as I was electrified by the direct contact.

“Stephen,” I said, trying to catch my breath, “I don’t know… if I can handle… THAT… for much longer….”

“I’m sorry — I can’t help myself,” he said, watching me intensely now. “You feel so good… and I’ve missed touching you… so much….” His hands were wandering all over my back, but they kept running down towards the hem of my jeans. “If… If you’re ready,” he began, then paused to lick his lips.

“You know I am,” I told him, pressing against his body, letting him feel how hard I was too.

“Then… I’d like to touch you… THERE.”

“Oh GOD yes!” I replied, rearing up on my knees and fumbling to unbutton and unzip my fly. Stephen opened his as well and for the first time I saw his cock — which was longer and thicker than mine but already leaking just like mine.

“Rub them together,” he directed. “I’ll hold them.”

“Won’t that hurt your hands?”

“It’s worth it — believe me, it’s worth it!”

I braced myself on the bed and lined up my cock with his. As his slender fingers wrapped around the two, spreading our pre-come between them, I realized that we were really doing this — we were actually having SEX! — and my brain froze like a computer with a fatal error. Thankfully, though, my body was on autopilot, thrusting to slide my cock against his.

“Good, good… just like that,” Stephen assured me while grabbing a bottle of lube from the drawer. When he poured some out, it felt cool on my heated skin, but it quickly warmed up as he slathered it over our cocks, and it definitely made them slide easier.

“Oh God… OH!” I couldn’t help crying out — it felt SO GOOD — and I had to fight to keep my eyes open.

“Let go, Peter… just let your body do what it wants,” Stephen said, so I did. I closed my eyes and rutted against him like an animal, and it felt amazing and wonderful and PERFECT to slide along his hot cock, held in his hands, while the bed squeaked with my every move. I found just the right rhythm, building up until it was too good, too much, way more than I could bear, and then I was coming, shooting my come in long spurts as my hips stuttered wildly. Through it all Stephen kept his grip on me, calling my name and murmuring words of encouragement. When I finished and collapsed on his chest, he cradled me and petted me and kissed the top of my head over and over.

“Oh, Peter… my sweet sunshine,” he whispered.

As I came down from my high, I realized that his cock was still hard. “I’m sorry… you… didn’t come… yet?”

He chuckled, sending low sound-waves rumbling through me. “Not yet… but that’s okay. I’ll have my turn in a second…. That is, if you’re ready…?”

I thought I understood what he meant, but even if I didn’t, I was ready — I wanted to do whatever he had in mind — so I answered, “Yeah, I’m ready!”

I felt him tugging at my shirt and realized we were both still mostly dressed. My movements were clumsy since I was half zombified from my orgasm, but between the two of us we managed to peel off my clothes, then I watched from where I was lying on the bed as Stephen shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his t-shirt — carefully, since I’d shot my come all over it, but laughing about it. When he stood up to shove his jeans off, I felt a strong tug in my crotch; if I’d been able to, I would’ve gotten another boner just from seeing him standing there naked!

Then as he crawled back onto bed, Stephen pushed my legs apart, confirming what I thought he’d meant. I bent my knees and spread my feet wider, feeling nervous but wanting to welcome him in. His cock was standing tall and looked HUGE (I honestly wondered if it would fit) but seeing how much he wanted this — wanted ME — made me determined to go through with it, even if it hurt like hell.

“It won’t hurt, I promise,” he said, as if he’d read my mind, while warming the bottle of lube in his armpit. “You see, one of your endowments from the spider is the ability to control your sphincter muscles with much more dexterity than regular humans.”

“Seriously?” I gaped at him, shocked. “I never noticed!”

“You haven’t had the occasion to,” he explained. He poured some lube onto his hand and slathered it into my crack, then down around my hole. “Of course you need some lubricant to reduce the friction, but… try opening up.”

I did, closing my eyes to concentrate, and immediately felt his fingers slide inside. Like, two or three of them.

“See? You’re made for this,” he said with a smile. “The first few times, I was so careful to open you up slowly… but we soon figured out that that was unnecessary. All you need is a little more lube….” I felt him spreading it around inside of me, then he rubbed a spot and I saw sparks fly. Like, stars literally flashed in front of my eyes like in really old cartoons. My cock twitched and grew half-hard in an instant. “I knew you had another one in you!” he laughed, stroking my cock with his other hand. “You’re so young, you’re already good for round two. If I can last long enough, we might even be able to come together.”

“I… I’d like that,” I said, swallowing because my mouth had gone dry.

“Peter….” He said my name like it was his most favorite word. “I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of doing this again. Are you sure you’re ready?” I nodded eagerly. “Okay… can you get on all fours? It’s easier for me if I don’t have to support my weight — plus it’s a better angle for hitting your prostate.”

I hurried to comply, clenching and opening my sphincter muscles (now that I knew I could) to try to relax them, while Stephen did something with his magic.

“I soundproofed the room so we can make as much noise as we want,” he explained, grabbing my ass with both hands. “God! You’re so beautiful, Peter!”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, but I guess I didn’t need to — he was positioning himself behind me, bringing his hard cock close to my hole. I opened it up as much as I could when I felt him spread my asscheeks apart.

“By the moons of Munnopor… what a view!” he breathed, making my whole body flush with pleasure. I’d never studied my own ass in a mirror so I didn’t know what it looked like, but if Stephen liked the view, that was all that mattered. “You SURE you’re ready?” he asked again, even though he was already rubbing the skin behind my balls with the tip of his cock.

“I’m SURE — just put it in!” I whined, eager to feel him inside of me. And as he eased in, I was surprised at how much detail I could actually feel. “Wow… oh, WOW!”

“Are you all right?” he asked, pausing but not pulling out.

“I’m great! It’s just… I can feel your veins and stuff….”

“You’ve always been very sensitive,” he said, sliding in a bit deeper. “Tell me if it gets to be too much….”

“Ungh!” I moaned into the bedspread, face down and ass up, glad that he didn’t stop again just because I wasn’t making coherent verbal sounds. It didn’t hurt at all — only a little stretching sensation as his cock filled me up — and when his balls pushed against my ass, I was surprised at how easy it was… and how good it felt. “I can feel your heartbeat,” I said with wonder.

He chuckled, and I could feel the waves of the movement entering me through his cock too. “I told you we were compatible, didn’t I? We always figured you had extra dexterity and pliancy in your sphincter because spiders spin their webs there… although you never could secrete your own webs.”

“I tried?” I asked, giggling at the thought.

“Oh, yeah! I even helped a couple of times. But you decided your chemical webs were far better and quit experimenting after a while.” He wiggled his cock, getting it settled deep inside my hole. “Peter,” he whispered, leaning down over my back to kiss my shoulder, sliding his arms around me. “You’re so beautiful… and perfect… I can hardly believe you’re letting me do this… again… for the first time….”

“I want it to be good for you,” I told him.

“It will be, don’t worry.”

“I want you to come inside me… fill me up with your come,” I begged.

“By the Vishanti, I will!” The next moment he was pulling out his cock, only to shove it back in again. “Oh, Peter… you’ll drive me mad… with your nubile, wanton body….” He began pounding into me at a pretty fast pace, his balls slapping against my ass to make lewd wet sounds — probably from all the lube he’d slathered on my skin — and his sexy grunts and groans made my own cock grow to its maximum hardness. It was amazing to feel him fucking me, completely losing his cool in the heat of sex, and I wasn’t far behind either. My heart was beating fast, almost double-time to his thrusts, as I tried to gulp in enough air. I whimpered when he stopped to reposition his body.

“Oh, God… oh, FUCK!” I cried out as he made me see stars again. He must have shifted so he could hit my prostate — which he did, over and over, until I couldn’t even think anymore. His hands were everywhere: stroking my cock, rubbing my ribs, and flicking my nipples, every touch a new sensation of pleasure that drove me even wilder. I couldn’t touch my cock because I was bracing my body against his pounding, but he was handling it just fine so I didn’t need to.

“Peter… so good… I… I’m close,” Stephen said, panting. He was moving faster now and his hand was pulling on my cock at the same speed.

“Ah… I’m close… too,” I managed, nearly overwhelmed by how good it felt to have his cock sliding in and out of me.

“Can you… clench?”

It took me a moment to process what he meant, but when I did and clenched my ass muscles, I knew why he’d requested it — I could feel him much better, and I must have been that much tighter for him. He shoved hard against the increased friction, pushing deep inside of me, and I felt his hot come hit my insides.

“Fuck…! Peter… oh, GOD!” he cried, slamming into me a few more times, filling me as he’d promised to with his come. The realization that he was coming inside of me, BECAUSE of me, made me reach my climax too.

“Stephen… Ste~phe~n…! Oh, fuck… FUCK!”

I pressed into his hand as I came, spurting all over the bedspread and his fingers. I had never come so hard before in my life, and I collapsed on the bed with Stephen on top of me, both of us heaving with the effort to breathe but neither of us willing to move away from the other.

“That… was… AMAZING,” I told him as soon as I was able to.

“Likewise,” he replied, kissing my back and shoulders in between breaths. “You… You’ve always been… amazing, Peter… but this… was truly… EXCEPTIONAL.”

I twisted, trying to kiss him on the mouth, and ended up flipping him onto his back and letting his cock slip out. I moaned at the loss but he just laughed and pulled me down, then kissed my forehead and eyebrows while I kissed his chest. Our arms and legs really were tangled up, just like he’d said, and we were both hot and sweaty and sticky, but it was the most comfortable I’d ever been. I was perfectly happy.

“So much for taking it slow,” Stephen muttered, almost to himself.

“I REALLY don’t want to leave now,” I told him, hugging him tight. “I wanna stay here forever….”

“Peter… oh, SHIT!” I started at his exclamation, but before I could react, he made a small portal above us and pulled out a watch. “Oh, good!” he added after checking it. “It’s only a little after nine o’clock. We still have time to shower before you go home.”

I considered that with increasing dismay. “Stephen… I don’t wanna go,” I confessed. “This feels like home, right here.”

“Oh, Peter… I know. I want to keep you here forever too, but….”

“I’m gonna text May and ask her if I can stay over.” Reluctantly, I peeled myself away from Stephen’s chest to look for my phone.

“Is that really a good idea? I mean… she was pretty clear about wanting you home by ten….”

“I know, but it can’t hurt to ask, right? The worst thing she can say is ‘No.’”

I found my jeans in a heap on the floor and fished my phone out of the pocket, then chewed on my lip as I considered what to say. _Having amazing sex, don’t wanna stop,_ was probably not gonna persuade her. Of course she would know what we’d been up to — or would be if she agreed — but I didn’t have to shoot my chances in the foot, so to speak.

“Hey,” Stephen called softly. “Come back here. We can cuddle while you think.”

“Okay.” I couldn’t help the stupid grin that spread across my face when I saw him lying naked there in the bed, holding up the covers so I could slip in next to him. I leaned back against his warmth as he tucked me in, enjoying being the little spoon, and started typing my message.

_Can I stay overnight? Please?_

I held my breath for the few seconds it took her to read it, feeling nervous as she typed her reply.

_You really love him?_

The question caught me off guard, but it was so Aunt May — she just wanted to make sure this was the right decision for me.

 _YES! I do. Really! So much._ I typed back in a hurry. _This just feels like_ — I almost typed “home” but thought better of it, since I didn’t want her to think I didn’t appreciate her taking me in — _I belong here. I’m supposed to be here._

Her reply came quickly: _Okay._

It was way easier than I’d expected, but I wasn’t gonna complain. “She said ‘Okay’!” I told Stephen, rolling over.

“Seriously?” he asked, peering into my phone like he couldn’t believe it. I held it up for him.

“Yeah! See?”

He smiled, then began tearing up. “You… You really… love me?”

“Of course I do!” I put the phone on the bedside table so I could wrap both of my arms around him. “Why are you surprised?”

“I… suppose I’m just… overwhelmed.” He hugged me back, pressing his cheek against mine. “I really had given up all hope, you know… of us being together again. And your aunt… in some of the other timelines, anyway… was not as understanding.”

“Really? She’s usually pretty cool,” I said, puzzled.

“You have to consider it from her perspective. She had thought you’d died, getting on that alien ship with Tony, and she had grieved for you… but then when you finally got back to Earth alive, she had to deal with the fact that… well, that you’d gotten involved with an older man… old enough to be your father….”

“Still, you’d think she’d be happy just to know I was okay.”

“Oh, she was — but you can’t blame her for freaking out about your association with Tony and me… and the Avengers in general. She couldn’t stand having you risk your life again.”

“So… what did we do? Did we, like… break up?”

“We tried… at least in a couple of timelines. It didn’t last.”

“Oh?”

“We kept… sneaking around… trying to meet where she wouldn’t notice,” he admitted. “I would… loiter on the rooftops at night, hoping to catch you on your patrols. You’d find reasons to come by this neighborhood… hanging around the store where Wong and I buy groceries.”

“So did we get back together?”

“Eventually, yes. I think we just wore your aunt down… and ultimately, she only wanted you to be happy. Safe, of course, but happy. So she made me promise to protect you to the best of my abilities and… she let you go. You came to live here, but you went by her apartment a lot to make sure that she was doing okay. We would invite her here for dinners — Christmas, Thanksgiving, your birthday — and after a few years, she did get used to the idea of us as a couple.”

“Huh.” I could see how May wouldn’t want me to go on dangerous missions anymore, but it was hard to imagine her breaking us up when we were in love… and so obviously meant for each other. Unless…. “Wait, that was in a timeline where we lost, right? Because in all the timelines except this one, we lost?”

“Yes.” His answer was a quiet breath against my hair.

“Okay, so half of everyone was gone… so yeah, I can see why she’d be a bit paranoid. More than normal, I mean. Although it’s not like her to break us up.”

“It might have had to do with the inherent danger of associating with me,” Stephen pointed out. “Plus I was… looking a lot older as well.”

“What? Why?”

“It takes a great deal of energy to create a new sling ring,” he explained. “I’d been severely injured — we both had — so it took a lot out of me to make a new one to bring us home. Thanos must have realized how the sling rings work, because he destroyed mine in every timeline that I survived. And in the first few timelines, I didn’t know enough to help you construct a spaceship, so a sling ring was our only way to get back. You helped me heal with the nanotech in your suit, but it still took a toll on my health, to the extent that… well, by the time we got back to Earth, all of my hair had turned gray.”

“Oh!” I tried to imagine him with all gray hair. “So you looked a lot older….”

“Exactly. Not the sort of boyfriend your aunt wanted for you.”

I pulled back so I could look him in the face — his handsome, sexy face. “You’d still be hot as hell. And I still loved you, didn’t I?”

“Yes… Yes, you did,” he whispered, as if he were amazed.

“And was that one of the times when we lived together for a hundred years?”

“Yes, actually… five of the timelines when we lived for a very long time together… for some very happy years.” He brushed back my hair with a faraway look, like he was remembering those happy years, before kissing me on the cheek. I kissed him on his neck and made him shiver.

“So I don’t see why that should make any difference… if *I* was happy, I would hope she’d just be happy FOR me.”

“She was… eventually.”

“Okay. I’m glad she came around.” I was getting sleepy, probably because Stephen was rubbing my back in a slow, steady rhythm. It felt perfect. HE felt perfect. I wanted to stay like this, in his arms, forever. I yawned and snuggled closer to him, feeling perfectly safe. “Say, Stephen?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I got it.” I struggled to stay awake until I could put my thought into words. “I think I know why I feel like this is my home. Remember how you asked if my spidey-sense might help me read your mind?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason why. My spidey-sense lets me know when I’m in danger… so maybe it’s telling me that this is the OPPOSITE — that this is the SAFEST place for me, because you’ll protect me no matter what.”

“That’s… a very likely reason,” he agreed. “I WILL protect you… with my life, if need be… so yes, this may very well be the safest place in the world for you.”

“Yeah.” I yawned again, feeling happier than I could remember ever being before. “This is home…. YOU’RE home for me, Stephen.”

“And you’re mine, Peter… my sunshine….”

I fell asleep to dream of him, knowing that he would be there when I woke up. That he would always be there… for me… and I was the luckiest guy in the universe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hadn't planned to write this beyond the first chapter, but your encouragement helped me to keep going. Please drop me a line if you have any other suggestions for this pair! ;)


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